Morning Glory Merchant Ship Records, 1857-1860

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Summary

Title:
Morning Glory merchant ship records
Dates:
1857-1860
Abstract:
Contains correspondence, bills, receipts, and legal documents related to the shipwreck and repair of the merchant ship Morning Glory.
Extent:
0.21 Linear Feet (1 box)
Language:
Materials are mostly in English, with some Spanish.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Morning Glory merchant ship records, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains correspondence, receipts, invoices, financial records, and legal documents relating to the shipwreck, salvage, and repair of the American merchant ship Morning Glory. Also included is a 44-page consular protest and survey dossier compiled by the United States Consulate in Valparaiso, Chile. These materials document early trade and shipping networks between British Columbia, Washington Territory, San Francisco, Chile, and Peru during the Fraser River Gold Rush in British Columbia, Canada.

Biographical / historical:

The merchant ship Morning Glory was built in 1854 for Ichabod Goodwin, the future governor of New Hampshire during the American Civil War and operated between Washington Territory, San Francisco, Peru, Europe, and Australia. It primarily exported timber and imported Peruvian guano which was used as fertilizer and for mining explosives. In May 1859, as the ship was sailing from Port Ludlow, Washington to Callao, Peru it struck rocks near the entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and became waterlogged. The ship was first taken to Esquimalt, Canada, where it was fitted with a steam pump allowing it to sail to Port Townsend, Washington for temporary repairs. The ship sailed to San Francisco for permanent repairs. In 1864, the ship was renamed British Crown after it was sold to British owners.

Acquisition information:
Purchased from Globus Books LLC, December 2025.
Processing information:

Processed at the time of accessioning in August 2026 by Kahlee Leingang.

Physical / technical requirements:

RESTRICTED: Box 1 (5): fragile, cannot be paged until conservation work is completed.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Kahlee Leingang
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2026-09-03 14:23:32 -0700 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Morning Glory merchant ship records, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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