In the 1850s, steamships carried California gold across the Isthmus of Panama and on to New York, and one of those ships, the S.S. Central America, never completed the final leg of its journey from Havana. The ship sank during a hurricane, taking most of the people aboard and a heavy load of California gold with it. For more than a century, the ship and its cargo remained on the ocean floor, out of reach of researchers and treasure hunters. Modern salvage teams found the ship and retrieved some of its gold, personal effects, and cargo pieces. Among these items that have since been sold to collectors is a wooden lid of a treasure box belonging to Wells Fargo.
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