In 1608, English explorer Captain John Smith conducted two expeditions on the Chesapeake Bay after the Virginia Company charged him with seeking precious metals and a water passage to the Pacific. His first voyage focused on the Bay's western shore, and his second took him to the head of the Bay, where he explored what are known today as the Sassafras, Northeast, and Susquehanna rivers. On the Sassafras, Smith encountered a group of American Indians known as the Tockwogh. Although he did not find gold, silver, or a Northwest Passage, his writings and maps became important guides for future explorers and settlers in the Bay region.