A cross on a bluff overlooking Centerville Beach was erected on September 11, 1921, by the Native Sons of the Golden West, Ferndale Parlor No. 93, to honor the 17 passengers and 21 crewmembers of the steamship SS Northerner, who perished on January 5 and 6, 1860, when the paddle wheeler struck submerged rocks two miles offshore and was beached near the original site. The cross was broken from its base during the 1992 Cape Mendocino Earthquakes, and a new cross was erected in 1995 to replace it. Because of imminent collapse from erosion, the 1995 cross was moved to the Centerville Beach parking area. In 2023, the original cross was salvaged and moved to this site with funds provided by the NSGW Historical Preservation Foundation. The Centerville Beach Cross is California Historical Landmark No. 173.