The Graveyard of the Pacific: Shipwreck Tales from the Depths of History, by Anthony Dalton is a fantastic and inexpensive book to get a taste of some of the most interesting shipwrecks found along the West Coast Trail. The book is just 121 pages, but it leaves you with a great outline of the notorious Graveyard of the Pacific. The Prologue throws you into the nerve wracking moments just before the Valencia wrecked and the next horrifying 36 hours ensued.
West Coast Trail Shipwrecks
Alaskan at 4k Soquel at 5k Sarah at 7k Becherdass-Ambiadass at 8k Michigan at 12k Uzbekistan at 13.8k Varsity at 17.6k Valencia at 18.3k Janet Cowan at 19k Robert Lewers at 20k Woodside at 20.2k Uncle John at 26.2k Vesta at 29k Raita at 33k Skagit at 34.2k Santa Rita at 37k Dare at 39k Lizzie Marshall at 47k Puritan at 48.5k Wempe Brothers at 49.4k Duchess of Argyle at 58k John Marshall at 62.3k William Tell at 64.2 Revere at 69k Cyrus at 75k
West Coast Trail Campsites
Pachena Bay Campground Michigan Creek at 12k Darling River at 14k Orange Juice Creek at 15k Tsocowis Creek at 16.5k Klanawa River at 23k Tsusiat Falls at 25k Cribs Creek at 42k Carmanah Creek at 46k Bonilla Creek at 48k Walbran Creek at 53k Cullite Cove at 58k Camper Bay at 62k Thrasher Cove at 70k Pacheedaht Campground
The Prologue ends with, "Valencia's bow veered round to the west, but it was too late. The ship plowed into the rocks." The full story of the Valencia, the deadliest shipwreck along the West Coast Trail stretch of the Graveyard of the Pacific is told in Chapter 8. One shipwreck in the Graveyard surpasses the Valencia in lives lost, though the sinking was mercifully quick. This story is told in Chapter 4: The Pacific Disaster of 1874. Chapter 5: Janet Cowan Meets Her End is an extraordinary shipwreck that happened not far from the Valencia near the 19km mark of the West Coast Trail. Another West Coast Trail shipwreck in the book is in Chapter 9, titled Soquel's Misfortune. The Soquel shipwreck happened during a snowstorm on January 22, 1909, just three years after the Valencia met her end. The Soquel shipwreck is a heartbreaking story with the crew of twelve and the captain, his wife and three year old daughter. Making their escape from their wrecked ship during a storm the captain was passing his daughter to his wife when one of the ships masts came crashing down, killing his daughter in an instant and throwing him violently backward. An instant later the captains wife was killed by the same mast smashing over the deck. For several hours they fought to stay alive on the storm ravaged ship and though ships arrived to help, they had to wait out the storm to offer any rescue. Eventually the crew and captain were rescued and the Soquel was smashed to pieces when the next storm raged through.
The wreck occurred on Seabird Rocks at roughly the 6km mark of the West Coast Trail. The Graveyard of the Pacific can be found on Amazon for just $10. Well worth the price for the incredible stories!
More Books About West Coast Trail Shipwrecks
West Coast Trail Shipwreck Books
West Coast Trail A to Z
The West Coast Trail by Day
Explore BC Hiking Destinations!
The West Coast Trail
Victoria Hiking Trails
Clayoquot Hiking Trails
Whistler Hiking Trails
Squamish Hiking Trails
Vancouver Hiking Trails