AH-WR-1181

Woodside

Steamer · Canada · Lost 1888 · The British Columbia Coast

A small Sooke-built coastal steamer lost her rudder and drifted onto the rocks near Trestle Creek in 1888; her anchor still lies on the beach today.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Interpretive Reconstruction, drawn to convey the vessel's era, type and general form. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

The Woodside was an 87-foot wooden steamer built at Sooke, British Columbia, in 1878 that provided regular coastal service between Victoria, Port Renfrew, Barkley Sound, and the Alberni Canal. On March 12, 1888, she lost her rudder and drifted onto a rock shelf near Trestle Creek on Vancouver Island's exposed southwest coast, becoming a total loss. Her anchor remains visible on the beach today, a well-known landmark along the West Coast Trail.

Vessel

Built: 1878
Builder: Not established
Yard: Sooke, British Columbia
Material: Wood
Length: 87 ft
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Steam
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: March 12, 1888
Cause: Mechanical failure
Location: Near Trestle Creek, on the present West Coast Trail, southwest coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia
Water: Pacific Ocean
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Disintegrated over the years; an anchor remains visible on the beach
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: Not established
Accuracy: Position not established
Nearest: Trestle Creek, West Coast Trail, Vancouver Island, British Columbia
Region: The British Columbia Coast