 Some scholars believe the first explorer to enter Tlingit lands was the Briton Francis Drake, who traveled to the area near present-day Kake in 1579, although other scholars dispute this theory.In the early 19th century Kake was visited by American maritime fur traders seeking sea otter skins, such as the ship "Atahualpa" in 1805 and "Otter" in 1811.Kake was also visited by the Russian Golovin Expedition in 1818.