06/09/2026
The S.S. Brother Jonathan was a side-wheel steamship traveling from San Francisco to Portland when it struck a reef near Crescent City, California, during a storm on July 30, 1865. The ship sank in less than an hour, taking more than 200 passengers and crew to their deaths, making it one of the deadliest maritime disasters on the Pacific Coast. For over 125 years, the wreck’s exact location remained a mystery until it was discovered in 1993, leading to the recovery of gold coins and historic artifacts from the seabed. Today, one of the ship’s most remarkable surviving relics—the captain’s wheel—is proudly displayed at Dan & Louis Oyster Bar in Portland, the very destination the ill-fated vessel was sailing toward when it met its tragic end.
