February 21, 2001
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fair treatm ent tow ards these black
Cim aroons brought him an army
o f m en to fight against the Span­
ish. C im aroons w ere slaves who
escaped into the dense w oods o f
South A m erica and surrounding
areas o f the “N ew W orld.” A fter
escaping, they began to form their
ow n colonies. As part o f this
boats, getting them ready for the
long trip back to Europe, the ships
were loaded w ith food and water.
The services o f the C im aroons
w ere no longer needed. Drake
richly rew arded D iego and the
other Cim aroons w ith treasures.
As he was never spoken o f again,
it is believed D iego was left here
o n
C enturies later, we still cel­
ebrate the memory o f the tall brave
black w arrior that fought side by
side w ith Sir Francis D rake in vi­
cious, bloody battles against the
native Indians. Finding a skel­
eton that was dated at the tim e o f
D iego sta tio n e d in the W est
C oast, and m atching him in his
rare size through bone findings
during those tim es, added fuel to
the fire that keeps burning. Find­
ing an English sword o f that era,
and a small, buried wooden boat o f
South American origin dating to
that time including other evidence
o f Drake’s landing here keeps that
fire burning even hotter.
It is by permission o f the local
Siletz Indian Tribe that they can
authorize DNA testing o f the bones
because they have sole property
rights. If results show that the skel­
etal remains are from a black person,
we are a step closer to proving Drake
and Diego walked on Oregon soil.
Historian or hobbyist, no matter
what side you find yourself on, be
sure to see the H istory Channel
special coming this summer.
t
Throughout the New World, Indian and African slaves fled to
form settlements in the wilderness. These people, known to
Spaniards as Cimaroons, or “wild ones, ” waged guerrilla
warfare against their former oppressors. They were also eager
to help enemies o f Spain, such as Francis Drake.
strange and close friendship be­
tween these two men, Diego would
also becom e the first reported
A frican circum navigator, sailing
around the w orld w ith D rake.
O n a return trip to England,
they sailed along the W est C oast
o f N orth A m erica. D rak e’s ships
w ould stop in num erous ports for
boat repairs and needed food,
w ater, or other supplies. Factual
evidence has show n D rake stop­
ping not only n ear V ancouver Is­
land in C anada, but also other
w est coastal areas, causing great
historical debates over the years.
O ne extended stay in 1579 was
said to be in a port n ear San Fran­
cisco. In the late tw entieth cen­
tury, Bob W ard, an English H isto­
rian w ould spend tw enty years
proving the actual stop m ay have
been at W hale Cove. W a rd ’s in­
credible efforts will be the subject
o f a H istory C hannel special on
Sir Francis D rake airing this June.
The next leg o f D rake’s journey
w ould lead the tired but rich sail­
ors hom e to England. A fter Diego
helped coordinate rep air o f the
the W est Coast. Because
o f the unusual height o f
the skeleton found in the
1930’s, history buffs are
even more intrigued by it.
This significantarcheologi-
cal find crushed the hopes
o f C alifornians who be­
lieved that Diego landed
dow n there was an em bar­
rassing find in 1979. A
brass plate believed to be
from D ra k e ’s ship w as
found near the sight where
C a lif o r n ia n s a ssu m e d
w here he landed. The plate
w as fo u n d in the m id-
1930’s and hailed as a sign
o f D rake’s arrival. Building
a commercial image around
it, h o te ls , r e s ta u r a n ts ,
shops and a roadw ay were
built as a tourist attraction
in D rake’s memory. B utin
1979, the plate was tested
and proven to be a fraud,
leading some historians to
consider the O regon land­
ing an even greater possi­
b ility than before.
orm ed the first successful heart operation in 1893
M a d a m e C J. W a lk e r, first self-made American w om an m illionaire . H y m a n S. T ho m as, invented
the p o ta to chip, originally know n as the Saratoga chip • M a t t h e w A. H enson , first m an to set foot on
the N o rth Pole . Jessie J a n ie M a r k , first w om an to earn a doctorate in b o ta n y . Is a a c M u rp h y , won
the very first Kentucky Derby . Dr. C harles D rew , discovered the m ethod fo r preserving blood plasma
. J e w el L a F o n ta n t M a n k a rio u s , first w om an to argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court Yvonne
C lark, first w om an to earn B.S. in chemical engineering a t H arvard .
in "scatting" style . O tis B o ykin , invented guided missile device .
Louis A rm s tro n g , first to sing
Ja n e W rig h t, pioneered several
advances in the field o f chemotherapy . F red erick M c k in le y Jones, inventor o f portable X-ray machine
W illia m A. H in to n , developed first test for syphilis . N o r b e r t R illieu x, developed the first system for
re fin in g su g a r , 5. B o o ne, invented the first ironing board . F ra n k G ra n t, inventor o f the baseball
chinguard . L.D . N e w m a n , inventor o f the hairbrush . Sh elby J. D a v id s o n , created the first adding
machine . W illia m W a rw ic k C a rd o zo , pioneered the study o f sickle cell anem ia . K u rils Blow , first
rap artist
Fou can't talk about Black history without talking about American history.
Let's remember the African Americans who helped build America.
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