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The Storied Waters
by JoAnn Semones
of Pigeon Point
JoAnn Semones
JoAnn Semones, Ph.D., boarded her
rst ship at age three and has loved sea
sagas ever since. Her book, Shipwrecks,
Scalawags, and Scavengers: The Storied
Waters of Pigeon Point, charts the area’s
maritime history from 1853 to 1953. She
also wrote the text for Pigeon Point’s
Interpretive Center. JoAnn’s stories have
appeared in many publications, including
Mains’l Haul, Professional Mariner,
Lighthouse Digest, Anchor Light, A Light in
the Mist, and Surviving Magazine, as well as
in Stanford University’s anthology Learning
to Live Again, and in the Chicken Soup for
the Soul international book series.Visit her
website at: www.gullcottagebooks.com
Pigeon Point was named after the wreck of the
clipper ship Carrier Pigeon. Image courtesy of
Harper’s New Monthly Magazine.
Located along the San Mateo County coast, Pigeon Point is
the site of an historic lighthouse and a rich maritime heritage. Originally
named Punta de las Balenas or Whale Point by Spanish mariners, the
cove was a whaling station and small shipping center in the 1820s.
In 1848, the Gold Rush dramatically increased the number
of ships sailing along California’s shores as well as the number of
shipwrecks. After the loss of many lives and much public outcry, a
lighthouse was built at Pigeon Point. Unfortunately, even the lighthouse
could not prevent other mishaps.
These shipwrecks give us a glimpse into local culture and
maritime commerce. They are important portals to our past, linking us
to unforgettable times, noteworthy places, and remarkable people.
AnEnduringLegacy
Between 1848 and 1869, nearly all commercial trade between
the Pacic and Atlantic oceans was conducted by swift ships known as
clippers. Built at Bath, Maine, in 1853, the Carrier Pigeon was on her
maiden voyage from Boston to San Francisco when she was thrown off
course near Whale Point.
On June 6, 1853, lost in heavy fog and besieged by strong
northwest winds, the wandering clipper came to grief on a craggy
out-cropping of rocks just 500 feet from shore. Curiosity seekers and
plunderers alike swarmed the beach. Some offered help to the crew.
Others, bobbing about the surf in small rowboats, stripped copper
from the ship’s hull and carried away valuable cargo. Many camped on
nearby bluffs, feasting on food from the ship’s larder.
Two days later, the steamer Active was dispatched to redeem
the Carrier Pigeon’s payload. However, bickering ensued between the
ships’ captains over salvage rights. The following day, the steamer Sea
Bird, arrived. Within hours heavy swells snapped her anchor chains,
then her anchor, pitching her onto the rocks.
On June 11th, Captain Robert Waterman, commanding the
steamer Goliah, arrived to bring order to the chaos and save as much
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