Cobija was founded by Simón Bolívar in 1825 and was Bolivia's first port on the Pacific coast. It was virtually destroyed by an earthquake and tsunami in 1868, and was also badly affected by a yellow fever epidemic the following year and another earthquake and tsunami in 1877. These events and the growth of Antofagasta as the main port in the area meant it was finally abandoned in 1907 and the church moved to the nearby port of Gatico, which had suffered less earthquake damage. Bolivia's Litoral province was occupied by Chilean forces during the War of the Pacific (1879–1883), and became Chilean territory with the signing of treaties in 1884 and 1904.