Historical Marker · No. 173
Centerville Beach Cross
Ferndale, Humboldt County · California
Erected by Native Sons of the Golden West, Grand Parlor, 1995
No state plaque stands, and the cross has not stayed put. The Native Sons raised it in 1921 on the bluff above the beach where the Pacific Mail steamer Northerner came ashore after striking a rock; some of its thirty-eight dead lie there. The 1992 Cape Mendocino earthquakes broke it from its base; a replacement went up in 1995 and was moved back as the bluff eroded. In 2023 the broken original was carried nearly five miles inland to Ferndale Cemetery, where a 2024 plaque tells the story. The 1921 wording calls crew and passengers alike pioneers.
What the plaque says
To the memory of the 38 pioneers who lost their lives in the wreck of the steamer "Northerner" on January 6, 1860. By Ferndale Parlor, NSGW, 1921. Rebuilt because of the earthquake of 1992. Rededicated February 11, 1995 by Grand Parlor, Native Sons of the Golden West. Fred Codoni, Grand President Centerville Beach Cross This cross was erected on a bluff overlooking Centerville Beach on September 11, 1921, by the Native Sons of the Golden West, Ferndale Parlor No. 93, to honor the 17 passengers and 21 crewmembers of the steamship SS Northerner, who perished on January 5 and 6, 1860. The paddle wheeler struck submerged rocks two miles offshore and was beached near the original site. This cross was broken from its base during the 1992 Cape Mendocino Earthquakes, and a new cross was erected in 1995 to replace it. Due to imminent collapse from erosion, the 1995 cross was moved to the Centerville Beach parking area. In 2023, the original cross was salvaged and moved to this site with funds provided by the NSGW Historical Preservation Foundation. The Centerville Beach Cross is California Historical Landmark No. 173. Rededicated February 10th, 2024 Native Sons of the Golden West George A. Adams, Grand President and Ferndale Parlor No. 93, Timothy Wilson, President GPY 147-8
Where it stands
40.57359, -124.34952 · Directions
More markers nearby
- Ferndale — 4.7 mi
- Humboldt Harbor Historical District — 14 mi
- Fort Humboldt — 16 mi
- California's First Drilled Oil Wells — 18 mi