August 6th, 2022
Our early morning joe…
gave way to…
Move’em on…
Head’em up…
Head’em up!
Move’em on…
Move’em on!
Head’em up…
Head’em up!
It’s time for our 27th annual trip
to Cannon Beach!
Well, actually…Our 26th trip, to be, what you might call…more accurate! You see when 2020 came to be…
We felt it more fitting to have our very own lithograph in front of the rusted old wreck of the Peter Iredale…
Instead of our traditional,
More stately depiction, in front of HayStack Rock.
The Peter Iredale is beached on the ocean shores of
Fort Stevens State Park.
So …
Wagons
Ho!
Rollin’
Rollin’
Rollin’
Keep them doggies movin’
Until our wagon train arrived…
At Cannon Beach!
FAMILY PHOTO OP!
And then of course…
This traditional pose, 27 years and counting.
Hey Kid!
Heads up…
There’s probably
many more pictures just like this one in your future!
Lunch time. Come and get it!
A nine mile trek to the north brought us to our lunchtime destination.
It offered something more than just your hot cup of morning coffee.
In fact…
This old building, built in 1912; touts that it’s the only “City Jail” in Oregon you can drink a beer in!
Oh, pardon me. I’m just pondering here.
Wonderin’, really.
What other curious things , might you find , out here along the beach?
Like, did you ever wonder how Cannon Beach got its name?
Uh,uh,uh…
It helps the story, if you just say YES!
Turns out,
our little tale takes us…
To about 14 miles out of Astoria.
Back to Fort Stevens State Park.
Now, you jist sit-yer-self a spell…
And I will tell you just the way I heard it.
As a feller told me,
The Cannon Beach saga begins in 1846; with a ship called the USS Shark.
As a veteran of the seas, she was sent on an exploratory voyage, up the Columbia River by President Polk.
Polk was proposing new boundaries between British Columbia and the Oregon Territory.
He wanted to get a feel for
“the locals” thoughts on the matter.
After successfully crossing The Columbia Bar
The Ship was on her way to Fort Vancouver to explore The Willamette Valley.
As I recall , the negotiations went well!
But the “boundary matter” was already settled , before The Shark could even set sail to come home.
Meanwhile , some trouble…
was stirring among some of the ships’ mates ; as they surmised the “border question” would escalate to War.
So several crew members deserted.
This was only the start of the trouble Lt. Howison , (Capt. of The Shark) would face!
On September 10 , 1846 during The Shark’s return trip…
She hit an un-charted shallow sand-bar at the Rivers’ mouth…
And was swept into breakers…
By a swift tide during the bad storm.
While the ships’ crew made it to safety , the USS Shark Schooner was a total loss.
But now , you just wait…
There’s more.
Turns out , Rumors started to fly! And by-golly , if they just didn’t turn out to be true!
About 27 miles to the south of The Columbia River , at a beach now called Arch Cape…
Mid-Shipman T.J. Simes found a portion of the Shark washed a-shore.
He saw three of her cannons lodged on part of the exposed decking.
With extreme difficulty , Simes was able to free one of the cannons before the tide turned. But he needed more help to move it any further.
After all , this thing weighs about 2000 pounds!
Upon Simes return with help, the cannon was gone!
Lost? Buried somewhere along this Pacific beach?
The road to the cannon was left uncertain.
For nearly 20 years, the lost cannon played “Hide and Seek” with area residents. Thus, it became known as “Cannon Beach.”
One such sighting happened in 1863.
The cannon was spotted in Arch Cape Creek.
In 1891, coastal settler, James P. Austin established the first post office at Arch Cape. He named the area “Cannon Beach.”
Austin was obsessed with finding the cannon,
but never did.
In 1898, a few years after Austin’s death, another mail carrier spotted the cannon.
Again, at Arch Cape Creek.
With the help of a team of horses , friends pulled the cannon from the water.
Austin’s wife had it put in front of the post office, in his memory.
For several years it was proudly displayed in honor of James P. Austin.
Today the original Cannon…
And the Sharks’ Capstan are preserved inside “The Cannon Beach History Center and Museum.”
But a replica sits outside…
For those of us old enough to enjoy.
And for those of us younger,
Still full of wonder…
Something old ,
is something new on this years’ trip to Cannon Beach.
Until the next…
May God Bless You with a wall for the wind, A roof for the rain, and a warm cup of coffee by the campfire.
-Will
Hi Will ,
Thank you so much for your email and for blogging about the cannon story, it was so much fun to read!! We’re so glad to hear that you enjoyed your time in the Museum, it was wonderful to have you learn about the Cannon Beach history. Thanks again for the wonderful blog post, we thoroughly enjoyed it and we hope to see you again! 🙂
My Gosh! This is quite the persona you’ve created. Congratulations, a lot of love goes in that…who knew you were a Thespian!