Alice Clara Hardin Stoltenberg, age 29, perished with her two young children in the SS Valencia maritime disaster of January 22–23, 1906. The coastal passenger steamer ran aground in heavy fog off the rugged west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, and broke apart in pounding surf. All women and children aboard lost their lives. Alice was a member of a pioneer family and was returning home from a visit to California with her son Carl and daughter Greta when tragedy struck.

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

Background and Family

Alice was born on July 21, 1876, in Montana. She married Heinrich Frederick “Henry” Stoltenberg (born 1861 in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany), a rancher and stockman near Shelby, Montana. The couple had two children: Earl Carl (born 1897) and Greta (born 1899).

In late 1905, Alice and the children traveled to visit her father in San Diego, California, after attending the Portland Fair. They spent the winter there but delayed their return when the children fell ill with measles. They finally departed San Francisco on the Valencia on January 20, 1906, heading home to Montana.

Alice was well known among farming communities in Whatcom County, Washington (near Blaine and Custer), where her pioneer family lived. Henry remained in Montana and later traveled desperately to Seattle and Victoria seeking information about his family.

The Valencia Disaster

The Valencia struck the rocks late on the night of January 22 in heavy fog. Over the next 36–40 hours, failed lifeboat launches and crashing waves claimed 136 lives. Alice and her children were among the women and children who did not survive.

Henry Stoltenberg, upon learning of the wreck, rushed to Seattle. In a heartbreaking interview reported on January 27, 1906, he asked how he could see the bodies of his wife and little ones, his face quivering with emotion as he described sending them on the voyage.

Recovery and Memorial

The bodies of Alice, Carl, and Greta Stoltenberg were never recovered from the sea. Early rumors suggested some bodies had been found, but these proved false. Alice is commemorated with a “Lost at Sea” memorial (Find a Grave Memorial ID 176080278). Henry Stoltenberg later remarried and lived until 1927; he is buried in Mountain View Cemetery, Shelby, Montana.