Site of New Albion at Drake's Cove
Drake's Cove at Point Reyes is the officially recognized Site of New Albion, where Francis Drake's expedition landed in 1579, repaired the Golden Hind, met Coast Miwok people, and reportedly erected the original brass plate claiming the country for Elizabeth I. California's.
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- Target Name: Site of New Albion at Drake's Cove
- Registry Category: artifact hotspot
- Geographic Location: Drake's Cove and Drakes Estero area, Point Reyes peninsula, Marin County (Coordinates:
38.03400, -122.94000) - Land Status: Point Reyes National Seashore (National Park Service; protected archaeological district, no artifact removal) (Classified as Protected / Restricted)
- Primary Historic Source: Site of New Albion, California Historical Landmark nomination
- Search & Usefulness Rating: Score 52/100 (Field Readiness: Archive / View Only)
- Summary Overview: Drake's Cove at Point Reyes is the officially recognized Site of New Albion, where Francis Drake's expedition landed in 1579, repaired the Golden Hind, met Coast Miwok people, and reportedly erected.
Historical Overview
Drake's Cove at Point Reyes is the officially recognized Site of New Albion, where Francis Drake's expedition landed in 1579, repaired the Golden Hind, met Coast Miwok people, and reportedly erected the original brass plate claiming the country for Elizabeth I. California's landmark nomination explicitly notes that the famous 1936 "Drake's Plate of Brass" was a hoax, but that the original plate described in early voyage accounts has never been recovered. That makes the cove less a bullion legend than a classic lost-history artifact hotspot tied to one of the earliest English landfalls on the Pacific coast. Because the district is archaeologically sensitive and legally protected, the modern value is in archival and landscape reconstruction rather than any physical search.
Field Search & Recovery Tips
Use public overlooks at Drakes Beach and Drake's Cove to understand the spit-estero geometry described in the nomination, but do not probe, dig, or collect. The productive hobbyist work here is map comparison, shoreline photography, and reading early voyage narratives against the modern landscape. Any artifact hunting inside the district would require federal and state authorization.
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The Dogtown Nugget Discovery Site
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Point Reyes National Seashore (National Park Service; protected archaeological district, no artifact removal)
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Recommended Outfitting
Site of New Albion, California Historical Landmark nomination
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