Victor Smith Port Angeles Customs Strongbox

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Victor Smith Port Angeles Customs Strongbox

Lost Treasure WA • Clallam County County
Description
1863 Olympic Peninsula legend of a customs strongbox with $7,500 in gold and banknotes swept into the Strait of Juan de Fuca when a dam burst destroyed Victor Smith's Port Angeles customs house.
Historical Notes
Victor Smith moved the Puget Sound customs district from Port Townsend to Port Angeles in 1862 amid embezzlement accusations and cannon threats. A December 1863 landslide burst a dam and flooded Port Angeles, sweeping the customs house and a strongbox into the strait with two employees lost. Legends of America treats the box as either stolen customs funds or legitimate payment — it has never been recovered.
Status / Verification legend — Legendary or approximate

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