SS Oregon (1878)

SS Oregon was a coastal passenger/cargo ship constructed in Chester, Pennsylvania by the Delaware River Iron Ship Building and Engine Works in February 1878. Oregon was first employed on the Portland, Oregon to San Francisco, California route along the western coast of the United States. After a series of incidents that damaged the ship's hull and the use of concrete as ballast, the vessel was considered unsuitable for use as a passenger ship and operated solely as a cargo ship. Oregon was laid up from 1894 to 1899 when the vessel became re-certified as a passenger ship. In 1889, Oregon sank Clan McKenzie in a collision on the Columbia River which killed two people. Oregon then took up service to the District of Alaska where the vessel ran aground at Cape Hinchinbrook on September 13, 1906, and declared a total loss.