Top Image: The Santo Cristo de Burgos would have looked very similar to this galleon, which was built in the Philippines. Image: oregonencyclopedia.org
Explorers in Oregon have discovered timbers from a 17th-century shipwreck, which are part of the ship that inspired the classic movie “The Goonies!”
In 1693, the Santo Cristo de Burgos was loaded with silk, porcelain and beeswax when it sailed from the Philippines headed for Mexico. But the ship never reached its destination—it ended up shipwrecked off the coast of Oregon. The details of the wreck are not precisely known, but it’s believed the ship hit gales in the North Pacific and storms as it got closer to the Oregon Coast.
The Santo Cristo de Burgos was part of the Manila galleon trade, which were Spanish ships that sailed the seas for about 250 years and were a vital part of trade at the time.
Native Americans living in the region fished blocks of beeswax, often stamped with shipping marks, out of the water and off the shoreline. The fate of the ship’s crew is unknown, but local stories suggested that some of the crew survived the wreck. In the centuries since the wreck, explorers, merchants and local residents have traded stories and theories about the shipwreck as its legend grew.
This legend is reportedly the inspiration behind Steven Spielberg’s classic 1985 film about a group of kids seeking treasure from a sunken pirate ship. Spielberg isn’t the only person who was fascinated by the shipwreck; many people have been interested by and searched for the ship in the last few centuries. Evidence of the shipwreck remained largely elusive—until last month. A team recovered a dozen timbers from the Santo Cristo de Burgos’ wooden hull. The timbers were recovered from sea caves, and the risky recovery process involved a team of archeologists, law enforcement, and search-and-rescue teams.
It’s rare to find wood from shipwrecks from this time period. This discovery makes the vessel one of only three Manila galleons in the world with surviving wood pieces! The rare galleon discovery was a thrill for everyone involved, including Native Americans who have heard the tales of the wreck for generations.
President Signs Safer Communities Bill into Law
WASHINGTON D.C.—A little more than a month after a mass shooting at a Texas elementary school shocked the world, the U.S. Senate passed the first major gun control bill in nearly 30 years!
Named the Safer Communities Act, the Senate passed the bill with a 65-33 vote on June 23. After passing in the House of Representatives, it was signed into law by President Joe Biden on June 25.
The law expands background checks for adults under 21 who are trying to buy a firearm. It also encourages states to enact “red flag laws” to temporarily keep guns away from people who are reported to be a threat to themselves or to others. It also provides federal funds for expanded mental health care, violence prevention programs and school safety.
While the law doesn’t ban any types of firearms, it is a major step. “While this bill doesn’t do everything I want, it does include actions I’ve long called for that are going to save lives,” the President said. “I know there’s much more work to do, and I’m never going to give up.”
