“Cape Cod and the Portland Gale”

25 Schoolhouse Road,Eastham MA 02642

07 July, 2022

Description

Summary: On the night of November 26, 1898, with a killer storm of historic proportions approaching, the steamer Portland set out from Boston. By the following night, the winter hurricane sent the vessel to the depths of Massachusetts Bay off Cape Cod, claiming nearly two hundred lives. On the Cape, a few dozen victims of the Portland disaster washed ashore, while ships piled up in harbors, high tides swept away railroad tracks, and the landscape and beaches were changed forever. Several Cape Cod mariners went to sea and never returned, caught in the gale’s evil clutches. Local author Don Wilding revisits this disaster and the heroic deeds of the U.S. Life-Saving Service and the Cape’s citizenry in what came to be known as “The Portland Gale.” About Don Wilding: Since the start of the millennium, Don Wilding has been telling stories of Cape Cod Outer Beach history through lectures, video, and the written word. Don is the author of three books on Cape Cod history: “Henry Beston’s Cape Cod: How ‘The Outermost House’ Inspired a National Seashore,” "A Brief History of Eastham: On the Outer Beach of Cape Cod," and "Shipwrecks of Cape Cod" was published on May 24, 2021 and is the most recently published book. "Cape Cod and The Portland Gale of 1898" is due to be published in Spring 2023. Don has worked as a Cape tour guide and is a regular speaker on Cape Cod lore in Massachusetts and across New England. He was an award-winning newspaper editor, writer, and designer in Massachusetts for 36 years, including a recent stint as a contributing history columnist and photographer for Cape newspapers. He has also been an instructor of Cape Cod history courses for the Open University of Wellfleet and Nauset Community Education. Order Don's new book, Shipwrecks of Cape Cod: Stories of Tragedy & Triumph, from The History Press! Don Wilding's Cape Cod: Where Land, Sea, & History Meet facebook.com/donwildingscapecod/ twitter.com/WildingsCapeCod Help us preserve Eastham’s Past for Eastham’s Future- Donations welcome! https://www.easthamhistoricalsociety.org/ For more information, please contact [email protected]