Frolic
Sailing Ship · United States · Lost 1850 · San Francisco & the Northern California Coast
A gold-rush-era trading brig wrecked on the Mendocino coast, scattering Chinese porcelain that reshaped understanding of regional trade.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
The Frolic was a wooden brig carrying Chinese trade goods toward the booming San Francisco gold rush market when she struck a reef and wrecked near Point Cabrillo on the Mendocino coast in the summer of 1850. Her cargo of porcelain and other goods scattered into the cove and was later traded inland among the Mitom Pomo. Archaeologist Thomas Layton's research connecting inland artifact finds to the wreck made the Frolic one of the best-studied 19th-century shipwrecks on the West Coast. The site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Vessel
- Not established
- W. and G. Gardner
- Not established
- Wood
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Sail
- Not established
Loss
- July 25, 1850
- Grounding
- Near Point Cabrillo, Mendocino coast, California
- Pacific Ocean
- Canton, China (via Hong Kong) → San Francisco, California
- Chinese export goods including porcelain
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Largely disintegrated; scattered remains and cargo fragments in the cove
- Not established
- 1980s
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places; within Point Cabrillo Light Station State Historic Park
Position
- 39.355° N 123.821° W
- Surveyed position
- Caspar, California
Coordinates from the National Register of Historic Places listing for Frolic Cove.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Partially documented (74/100)
Precise number aboard, casualty outcome, and exact loss date are not firmly established in the sources reviewed.
National Park Service — National Register of Historic Places
Site coordinates, listing details, and site significance.
Voyage, cargo, wreck circumstances, and archaeological research history.
