LAKEPORT, Calif. – One of the most colorful characters in San Francisco's storied history is the inspiration for a new event that is unfolding ahead of the annual 'Shipwreck Day' in downtown Lakeport.
“The Emperor Norton Lost Ransom Treasure Hunt” is now under way, and it's meant to be a fun addition to the Shipwreck Day merriment planned for Saturday, Oct. 18.
The Lakeport Main Street Association will host Shipwreck Day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Library Park.
The day will feature folks decked out in pirate garb, with vendors offering grub, grog and other wares, and activities for the entire family, including a pirates bazaar, pirate school and pirate costume contest and music.
There also is the new “illustrated pirate strut,” with more than $300 in prize ink from Prestige and Relentless Tattoo parlors for the “best” and the “worst” tattoos. Swimsuit rules apply; if you can't see the tattoo when you sport your swimsuit, you can't show it.
The new treasure hunt component is named for English-born San Francisco resident Joshua Norton, who in 1859 declared himself emperor of the United States and protector of Mexico.
Norton went so far as to create his own currency – which fellow San Franciscans honored – and even issued proclamations calling for a bridge crossing and a tunnel to be built under San Francisco Bay, projects which indeed took place long after his death at age 61 in 1880.
There is even a petition now circulating to name the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge for Norton. The petition can be found at https://www.change.org/p/name-the-bay-bridge-for-emperor-norton .
Norton's Lakeport treasure hunt story begins with the raising of the Egret, the flagship of the Lakeport Yacht Club, from the bottom of the lake, according to Suzanne Lyons, one of the Shipwreck Day organizers.
As the fictional background for the treasure hunt goes, a bottle with a message was found relating to Emperor Norton's reported capture by pirates; a ransom was paid but lost and never recovered.
That “ransom” – consisting of at least $300 – is the focus of the treasure hunt.
To begin gathering the clues, go to www.facebook.com/shipwreckday or http://www.secondtimearond1855.com/emperor-norton-treasure-hunt , or visit downtown stores.
The first clue is free, and the subsequent nine clues each cost $1, Lyons said.
All of the money collected for clues will be added to the treasure trove, she said.
Treasure hunters cannot move ahead before each clue is available, but they can start from the beginning at any time, Lyons explained.
Lyons said treasure hunters need to go where the clues direct them and ask if the shopkeeper has a clue. If they are in the right place the shop owner will stamp their clue and send them back to get the next clue.
For more information about Shipwreck Day or the Emperor Norton treasure hunt, visit http://www.secondtimearond1855.com/pirates-shipwreck-day or call 707-262-1967
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.