The Valencia Shipwreck on the West Coast TrailFrank J. Campbell was a second class passenger on the Valencia who survived with the Bunker Party. Prior to the voyage, Campbell worked as an agent for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company in Alameda, California. He was traveling to Seattle with his wife and 16-year-old stepdaughter to establish a machine business.

The Valencia Disaster

 Shipwreck on the West Coast Trail1. The Valencia Shipwreck on the West Coast Trail2. The Voyage Shipwreck on the West Coast Trail3. The Boats Shipwreck on the West Coast Trail4. The McCarthy Boat Shipwreck on the West Coast Trail5. The Bunker Party Shipwreck on the West Coast Trail6. On the Valencia Shipwreck on the West Coast Trail7. The Rafts Shipwreck on the West Coast Trail8. The Turret Raft Shipwreck on the West Coast Trail9. The Rescue Ships Shipwreck on the West Coast Trail10. The Aftermath Shipwreck on the West Coast Trail11. The Survivors Shipwreck on the West Coast Trail12. The Lost 

The West Coast Trail

Shipwreck on the West Coast TrailPrologue Shipwreck on the West Coast Trail1: The West Coast Trail Shipwreck on the West Coast Trail2: When to Hike & Fees Shipwreck on the West Coast Trail3: Trailheads Shipwreck on the West Coast Trail4: Getting There Shipwreck on the West Coast Trail5: Considerations Shipwreck on the West Coast Trail6: Campsites Shipwreck on the West Coast Trail7: Shipwrecks Shipwreck on the West Coast Trail8: Routes Shipwreck on the West Coast Trail9: Sights & Highlights

During the shipwreck, Campbell boarded lifeboat No. 3—the fifth boat launched from the Valencia—which carried 15 people. The boat briefly escaped the ship's vicinity but lost an oar, causing it to veer into breakers and capsize, resulting in the drowning of eight occupants, including Campbell's wife and stepdaughter. Campbell was one of seven men who survived the capsizing and reached shore at the base of steep cliffs approximately 250 meters north of the wreck site. The other survivors from his boat were Tony Brown, George Billikos, Yosuki Hosoda, Mike Stone, Charles Samuels, and Albert Willis. On shore, Campbell's group joined forces with two more survivors—Frank Bunker (an educator en route to Seattle) and Frank Richley—from another capsized lifeboat, forming what became known as the "Bunker Party," with Bunker assuming leadership. Facing harsh conditions, including ankle-deep snow and some members without shoes, they followed a telegraph wire through dense forest to a beach and eventually reached the Darling River hut for shelter. From there, they hiked to Pachena Bay, where they were rescued by a waiting ship on January 26, 1906. The Victoria Daily Times printed this picture of the Bunker Party on 29 January, 1906. The photo was taken at about 3:30pm on Friday, January 26th moments before they started the long hike back out to a ship waiting for them in Pachena Bay.  The others in the background are men that hiked in from Bamfield to bring them supplies and guide them back out.

The Bunker Party on January 26th, 1906

Bunker Party January 26th, 1906