Cannon Beach, Oregon, is really named after a cannon | Destination Oregon

Cannon Beach sits on the Pacific Ocean, 80 miles northwest of Portland and 25 miles south of Astoria. A popular tourist destination, it is known for its close proximity to Haystack Rock, quaint shops, great seafood and long, sandy shoreline.

Why is it called Cannon Beach, and why was there a cannon here?

“There is a whole story to that,” said Liz Scott, executive director of the Cannon Beach History Center and Museum. “Cannon Beach was, in fact, named after a real cannon that washed ashore in the mid-1800s, in 1846, from the USS Shark. It was a naval schooner ship that had crashed in the Columbia River.”

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Debris from the shipwreck floated down the coastline 25 miles to what is present-day Cannon Beach.

“There were rumors that there were cannons in the surf. People heard about it and it was spotted a couple of times. But it wasn’t until 1898 that one cannon that ended up being pulled out of the surf,” Scott said.

A mail carrier hitched a team of horses to haul the 2,000-pound cannon ashore. It was displayed in various parts of town, then known as Elk Creek, and even rested along the highway before finding its permanent home at the Cannon Beach History Center and Museum.

“We’re so proud to have it here,” Scott said. “For such a small museum to have an artifact like this, to have your town’s namesake here, is incredible.”

The museum not only showcases the cannon but also tells the story of local Indigenous peoples, the arrival of Lewis and Clark and the town’s namesake.

“These items have stories,” Scott said. “The cannon has so many stories and probably seen so many things during its time when it was a part of the USS Shark.”

For visitors to the northern Oregon coast, the Cannon Beach History Center and Museum offers a unique glimpse into the past. Admission is free, but donations are encouraged.