Mary D. Hume (steamer)
Encyclopedia
The Mary D. Hume was a steamer built at Gold Beach, Oregon
in 1881, by R. D. Hume, a pioneer and early businessman in that area. Gold Beach was then called Ellensburg.
and Gold Beach, then known as Ellensburg. By 1881, he had established a fish cannery and built Mary D. Hume, to support the cannery operation.. Mary D. Hume passed through several owners and a number of changes and reconstructions, and served as late as the 1970s, the oldest serving commercial vessel on the West Coast
.
, and her wreck can still be seen in Gold Beach.
Gold Beach, Oregon
Gold Beach is a city in and the county seat of Curry County, Oregon, United States, on the Oregon Coast. The population was 1,897 at the 2000 census.-History:...
in 1881, by R. D. Hume, a pioneer and early businessman in that area. Gold Beach was then called Ellensburg.
History
R. D. Hume was a pioneering businessman at WedderburnWedderburn, Oregon
Wedderburn is an unincorporated coastal community in Curry County, Oregon, United States. It is located across the mouth of Rogue River from Gold Beach, on U.S. Route 101. The Isaac Lee Patterson Bridge connects Wedderburn with Gold Beach....
and Gold Beach, then known as Ellensburg. By 1881, he had established a fish cannery and built Mary D. Hume, to support the cannery operation.. Mary D. Hume passed through several owners and a number of changes and reconstructions, and served as late as the 1970s, the oldest serving commercial vessel on the West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
.
Current wreck
An effort was organized to preserve Mary D. Hume as a museum ship, but a mechanical failure caused her to slide into the mud at Gold Beach and an unrelated lawsuit over ownership of the vessel dissipated the funds of the Curry County Historical Society which had planned to restore the vessel. Even so, the Mary D. Hume is on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, and her wreck can still be seen in Gold Beach.
General references
- Newell, Gordon R., ed. H.W. McCurdy Marine History of the Pacific Northwest, Superior Publishing, Seattle, WA 1966
