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Cannon Beach, Ore.’s iron namesake returns

It will be put on permanent display in local museum

By Associated Press
Published: June 29, 2016, 9:00pm

ASTORIA, Ore. — Cannon Beach’s 2,000-pound namesake is back home.

The Daily Astorian reported that the iron cannon will be included in a permanent exhibit at the Cannon Beach History Center and Museum. It is expected to be set up by midsummer.

The coastal town was named Ecola until 1922, when residents voted to adopt the name Cannon Beach.

Historians believe the cannon is from the deck of the USS Shark, a naval schooner that sank in the Columbia River in 1846. It was found, lost, and came ashore again in 1898.

The cannon spent four years being restored in Texas and was later stored at a maritime museum.

Museum and county officials say moving and unpacking the cannon was more difficult than expected, so they called a construction company for help.

Local Angle

The cannons for which Cannon Beach, Ore., was named have a tie to Vancouver.

The USS Shark was sailing from Fort Vancouver when it wrecked near the mouth of the Columbia River. Its cannons later washed ashore near the site of the present-day town.

In 2008, the PBS series “History Detectives” explored the link between the U.S. Navy schooner and Fort Vancouver — then the regional headquarters of the British Hudson’s Bay Company fur and mercantile empire.

Greg Shine, chief ranger and historian at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, explained the ship’s mission along the Columbia River.

According to accounts of the day, it was sent to “obtain correct information of that country and to cheer our citizens in that region by the presence of our American flag.”

Shine also shared accounts of an interesting conversation between the commander of the Shark and a Hudson’s Bay official. According to the official’s memoirs, U.S. Navy Lt. Neil Howison told him: “Though these Americans are my countrymen, they are as much an oddity to me as to you.”

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