Steamer Idaho Wreckage

Historical Point of Interest

1. Steamer Idaho Wreckage Marker

Inscription.
Beneath your feet lies the wreckage of the pioneer sidewheel steamer "Idaho", which served from 1900 until 1909 as Dr. Alexander de Soto's famous wayside mission hospital. Here Dr. de Soto ministered to the needs of seafarers and the destitute, donating his time and funds to their care.

Erected 1960 by Yukon Club & Propeller Club - Port of Seattle.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Science & Medicine • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1900.

Location. Marker has been permanently removed. It was located near 47° 36.055′ N, 122° 20.177′ W. Marker was in Seattle, Washington, in King County. It was in Downtown Seattle. It was at the intersection of Alaskan Way (Washington Route 99) and South Washington Street, on the right when traveling south on Alaskan Way. Touch for map. Marker was at or near this postal address: 199 Alaskan Wy, Seattle WA 98104, United States of America.

We have been informed that this marker is no longer there and will not be replaced. This page is an archival view of what was.

Regionally, this marker was in Washington’s Puget Sound Region.

It was also on the American Pacific Coast,

in the Pacific Northwest,

and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor.

Globally, it was in North America,

in the Cascade Range,

in the Inside Passage,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this location: Chun Ching Hock (a few steps from this marker); Who Belongs Here? / Violence & Vitriol

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(a few steps from this marker); Ballast Island (within shouting distance of this marker); Indians Attack Seattle! Jan. 26, 1856 (within shouting distance of this marker); Seattle’s First Pier (within shouting distance of this marker); Who landed here? (within shouting distance of this marker); Pioneer Square Hotel (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); What was Yesler’s Way? / How did a parking garage spark a preservation movement? (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Seattle.

More about this marker. This marker was never replaced after being removed during 2014 for a years-long rehabilitation of the historic boat landing. An uploaded photo from 2/2026 shows the interior of the boat landing and the spot where the marker should be.

Regarding Steamer Idaho Wreckage. A blog site (link below) provides additional history: The Idaho was probably one of the last ships to be buried beneath Seattle’s waterfront. The irony of this sidewheeler’s last days was sensational enough to be popularly told and retold. As a 1903 article in the weekly

Steamer Idaho image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Pauldorpat.com

2. Steamer Idaho

Commonwealth put it, the Idaho’s career was “a happy instance of compensation” in which an “opium-smuggling ship became an ark of refuge for opium victims.” ... Built to work on the Columbia River out of The Dalles, the Idaho was soon successfully taken over that river’s treacherous cascades and then, in 1882, was sent on to Puget Sound. Here its shadier labors included smuggling illegal aliens and opium. But in 1899 the ship was redeemed by a Spanish Jesuit turned surgeon ... Dr. Alexander de Soto bought the steamer with money made from practicing surgery on the well-to-do and converted it into a hospital for the down-and-out. With the ship set above high tide on pilings at the foot of Jackson Street, De Soto and his wards abandoned their first hospital, a borrowed bam where he not only cared for but also lived with his indigent patients. The good works of De Soto’s Wayside Mission were so in demand that his example eventually spurred the city itself to provide health care for the indigent. With the 1909 completion of the new Public Safety ·Building (now the 400 Yesler Building); Seattle opened its own clinic ... Two years earlier, in 1907, the Wayside Mission was forced from its land-bound sidewheeler and moved to a temporary site at Second and Republican, now the part of the Seattle Center taken by the Bagley Write Repertory Theatre. Soon after, the redeemed Idaho was laid to

Photographed by Pauldorpat.com

3. Steamer Idaho

rest beneath fill near the foot of Jackson Street.

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, December 30, 2012

4. Steamer Idaho Wreckage Marker

Washington Street Public Boat Landing image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Google Maps

5. Washington Street Public Boat Landing

The boat landing and historical marker were temporarily moved to another location in 2014 while the Elliot Bay seawall is being renovated. The boat landing and marker will be placed back in their original location sometime in 2018-2019.

Steamer Idaho Wreckage Marker Missing image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, February 20, 2026

6. Steamer Idaho Wreckage Marker Missing

An updated photo from 2/2026 shows the entire boat landing, including the interior of where the marker should be. It was removed in 2014 and never replaced.

Credits. This page was last revised on March 2, 2026. It was originally submitted on January 19, 2018, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. This page has been viewed 786 times since then and 42 times this year. Last updated on February 28, 2026, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on January 19, 2018, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. 6. submitted on February 28, 2026, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.