Centerville Beach Cross, Summit cross in Humboldt County, US.
The Centerville Beach Cross is a cross and marker set on a hill overlooking Centerville Beach, about 20 miles south of the mouth of Humboldt Bay. The monument carries a bronze plaque and is listed as California Historical Landmark #173. The original marker was destroyed in the 1992 Cape Mendocino earthquakes; a new marker was placed and rededicated on February 11, 1995.
The monument was built in 1921 by the Native Sons of the Golden West to honor those lost when the Northerner sank decades earlier. This 1860 maritime disaster became one of the defining tragic events of the region's coastal history.
The bronze plaque on the cross records that the Ferndale Parlor of the Native Sons of the Golden West placed the marker in 1921. The original was destroyed in the 1992 Cape Mendocino earthquakes, and a new marker was rededicated on February 11, 1995. The cross overlooks the beach where 38 people drowned.
You can reach this location by walking coastal trails that start from Centerville Beach, where parking is available. The hilltop site can be windswept and the weather changes quickly, so prepare for variable conditions.
A local man named Seth Kinman waded into the ocean during the shipwreck and pulled numerous people from the water to safety. His courageous action remains part of the local story and is remembered as an act of bravery by the community.
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