This image, circa 1865, shows a drawing of the S.S. Brother Jonathan with an inset map showing the location of the wreck. Courtesy of the Oregon Historical Society, Album 353
By Kami Horton (OPB)
Treasure hunters believe a fortune in gold remains lost in the wreckage. One hundred sixty years ago, the S.S. Brother Jonathan sank just south of the Oregon border in what remains one of the region’s deadliest maritime disasters. Over 200 people and a treasure trove of gold coins went down with the ship.
On July 30, 1865, the side-wheel steamer Brother Jonathan departed Crescent City, California, and headed north toward Portland on its usual route up and down the West Coast.
It would be the ship’s final journey.
According to Captain Samuel DeWolf’s widow, the ship’s captain had been worried about the latest northbound journey.
Read the full article on OPB:
https://www.opb.org/article/2025/07/30/oregon-coast-ss-brother-jonathan-shipwreck-crescent-city-california/
