Capt. Norm Stevens, is the featured speaker at the Jefferson County Historical Society First Friday Lecture on April 6. Three north Olympic Peninsula shipwrecks spanning two centuries will be discussed in his lecture entitled “Shipwrecks and Other Bad News”.

The wreck of the Russian Nikolai on the West End in 1808 brought the first known non-native woman to the Olympic Peninsula. The tragic collision of the Pacific and the Orpheus off Cape Flattery in 1875 resulted in the loss of 275 lives. The collision of the Governor and the West Hartland off Point Wilson in 1921 is perhaps the best known of the Port Townsend area wrecks.

Stevens will explore the causes and consequences of the wrecks and relate some of the human stories of the survivors and the lost. He retired from the Coast Guard, from the merchant marines, and as community college teacher.

The program will begin at 7:00 p.m. in Port Townsend’s historic city council chamber, 540 Water Street. Admission is by donation which supports historical society programs.