Commemorative Plaque
Installed July 14, 2018 at Eagle Beach State Recreation Area
There was no plaque near the site of the wreck for almost 100 years. The Pioneers of Alaska Men's and Women's Igloos 6, along with the Grand Igloo, commissioned and installed a bronze plaque and an interpretive sign in July of 2018, near Eagle Beach. Though Vanderbilt Reef is not visible from this location because of Benjamin Island, it was felt that the accessibility and exposure gave the location merit. Further, it is in an area that looks out directly upon the islands down-wind of the accident site, where many bodies were recovered, and where many still rest.
The Plaque was dedicated and a Legislative citation presented by Southeast Senator Denis Egan after a short history of the wreck was given by Fred Thorsteinson of the Pioneers of Alaska. Toni Mallott, wife of Alaska's Lt. Governor, spoke about the significance of the wreck and her own connections to it, and benedictions were delivered by Kirk Thorsteinson and Suzanne Haight, chaplains of their respective Pioneers Igloos.
In addition to the plaque, the Pioneers of Alaska worked with the Maritime Museum of British Columbia to purchase a traveling exhibit that used photographs and digital media to tell the story of the ship, the victims, and artifacts from the wreck. This was donated to the Alaska State Museum and was part of the Centennial Commemoration Ceremony. [350 deaths is the de facto official number based on an incomplete manifest and other records, and is often used for works like this. Research suggest the actual number is nearer to 400, but we will never know for certain]
Pioneers of Alaska - Juneau
Details of the traveling exhibit