Sir Francis Drake had spent half of 1579 plundering Spanish ports in 
South America. He was beginning his trip across the Pacific when his 
ship The Golden Hind needed repairs. He dropped anchor in what is 
now Bodega Bay, near San Francisco. He was greeted by Miwok 
Indians, who took Drake and his men for sea gods. The Englishmen 
spent five weeks there, and the Indians treated them with such 
reverence that they crowned Drake their king. Drake, in turn, named 
the land New Albion and claimed it for Queen Elizabeth I before 
continuing his trip around the world.