Cannon Beach was named after a carronade (a short, smoothbore, cast iron naval cannon) found buried in the sand nearby. The cannon broke free of the USS Shark’s deck during a shipwreck at the mouth
of the Columbia River on September 10, 1846. Shortly after the wreck, a USS Shark crewmember learned from Tillamook Indians that part of the ship’s deck washed ashore south of what is now Cannon Beach. Three cannons were once affixed to that part of the deck, and the crew succeeded in pulling one cannon into what is now Arch Cape Creek. Mail carrier John Luce spotted it there in June 1898 and, with help, succeeded in bringing it ashore. For many years, the cannon was displayed in front of the post office. T
1846 so the crew could gather information and show the flag in support of the rapidly growing number of American settlers in the region. In September, the Shark’s captain, Lt Neil Howison, USN, attempted to cross the bar at the river’s mouth, but the vessel struck bottom, broke up, and sank. All crew members survived and were rescued by the British Hudson’s Bay Company and Royal Navy at Fort Vancouver.

In 2008, teenager Miranda Petrone discovered another of the Shark’s cannons while walking along the beach. Another beach visitor soon found the third cannon nearby. In 2014, after five years of
conservation treatment at Texas A&M, two cannons went on display at the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria. The first cannon found in 1898 was stabilized and given to the Cannon Beach History Center in 2017. In 1912, a coastal community gave up the name Cannon Beach to change its name to a nearby geologic feature, Arch Cape. Nearby, the town of Ecola faced a problem: its mail frequently ended up in Eola, a town in Polk County 75 miles away. So, in 1922, the town of Ecola salvaged the Cannon Beach name for its own use, much to the delight of the local postmasters.

• USS Shark arrived at the mouth of the Columbia River in July 1846 so the crew could gather information and show the flag in support of the rapidly growing number of American settlers in the region. In September, the Shark’s captain, Lt Neil Howison, USN, attempted to cross the bar at the river’s mouth, but the vessel struck bottom, broke up, and sank. All crew members survived and were rescued by the British Hudson’s Bay Company and Royal Navy at Fort Vancouver.

Location: Three miles south of Cannon Beach

Sponsors: Clatsop County

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