Mildred Cole, also known as Fanny Amelia Cole, a 30-year-old actress from Minnesota who did not survive the Valencia disaster. Mildred was traveling first-class from San Francisco to Seattle, where she hoped to perform with a concert company. Her body was one of the few recovered and later identified in Victoria before being returned to Minnesota for burial.

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

Mildred Cole was born Fanny Amelia Cole on May 25, 1875 (some records list June 1, 1875), in Minnesota. She was the daughter of Andrew Cole and Margaret Halvorson Cole. Pursuing a career in acting, she adopted the stage name Mildred Cole and performed with a troupe of actors across the United States.

At the time of the disaster, she was working in San Francisco and had boarded the Valencia for a brief trip to Seattle (and possibly onward to Vancouver or Alaska) for theatrical engagements. She had previously appeared in Victoria with a concert company the year before.

The Valencia Disaster and Recovery

Mildred Cole was listed as a first-class passenger bound for Seattle. Her body was recovered in the days after the wreck and initially buried hastily along the shore. Several weeks later, the remains were brought to Victoria for identification. The Call newspaper reported on 7 Feb 1906:

May Be Body of Actress.

PORTLAND, Feb. 6.—Fred T. Merrill, a theatrical manager of this city, believes from the description of the jewels and bangles found on the body of one of the women victims of the Valencia disaster that a heretofore unidentified body is that of Mildred Cole, an actress whose home was in San Francisco. Miss Cole was en route to Alaska.

 The Victoria Daily Times reported two weeks later with details of the police report:

ANOTHER BODY CLAIMED.

Miss Mildred Cole, Victim of Valencia Wreck, Identified.

Supt. Hussey is in receipt of a letter from Mel Lowenfeld, of 201 Taylor street, San Francisco, inquiring as to the fate of Miss Mildred Cole, a passenger of the wrecked Valencia. The missing lady is described as 5 ft. 2 in. in height, about 155lbs. weight, large bust; two front gold-capped teeth, back teeth all gold-capped; had two diamond rings on left hand, two rings and bangle on arm; had one Lewis & Clark gold dollar. Miss Cole had two insurance policies on her life in favor of her mother, who resides in Minnesota, and proof of death is sought by the company carrying the insurance.

The description as above given corresponds with that of a body interred here and marked "V" on the 12th inst. The body was one of those found near the scene of the wreck on February 2nd by the United States cutter Perry.

The East Origonian newspaper reported on 14 April 1906: 

There is a $10,000 insurance policy in the name of Mildred Coles, the Valencia victim whose body was exhumed on April 12, and identified by Mrs. Clausen, of Minnesota, who will have the body shipped east.

On April 14, 1906, the Victoria Daily Times reported that Mrs. Clausen, a friend of Mildred’s mother, had traveled to Victoria and successfully identified the body among several unidentified victims. The identification was based on personal recognition and matching details. Mildred’s body was then sent back to Minnesota for interment.

She is buried at Blooming Prairie Cemetery in Blooming Prairie, Steele County, Minnesota (Find a Grave Memorial ID 65796906).

Memorial

Mildred Cole’s story is one of a talented young actress whose promising career was cut short while simply traveling to the next engagement. Her family’s long wait for confirmation and the journey to identify her remains reflect the prolonged grief experienced by many families after the Valencia tragedy. No women or children survived the disaster, and Mildred’s courage in facing the terrifying final hours remains a quiet testament to the human cost of the wreck.