Cannon Beach History Center should be your first stop

The first thing you see when you visit the Cannon Beach History Center and Museum is, appropriately enough, a cannon.

 

It’s not just any cannon, but the cannon from the US Navy schooner “Shark” which wrecked trying to cross the Columbia River Bar. The history center received the cannon in 1991 and now have it on display. A replica of the cannon can be seen along Highway 101 at a view point. In addition, in 2008 a couple walking along the beach discovered two more cannons that are believed to be from the Shark, however they are not on display.

 

There is also an exhibit about “Terrible Tilly,” the decommissioned lighthouse that is a mile off shore on a huge formation of rocks, and how Cannon Beach is just south of the “Graveyard of the Pacific.” With the Columbia River bar so close, there is a history of lost vessels, as the cannon discoveries continue to prove.

But if cannons and shipwrecks aren’t your speed, don’t worry, because the museum has much more to offer. The museum is almost set up like a timeline, where you start with a wall devoted to the Native Americans that were living in the area before traders and Lewis and Clark showed up.

 

In addition there is an entire wall devoted to the robust logging industry that surrounded the area – complete with a logger hanging off a tree.

 

“People love that logger,” said Grace Saad, program director of the Cannon Beach History Center and Museum. “The kids especially love looking at him and they name him, it’s cute.”

 

But the museum has three permanent exhibits that are very surprising and education. After looking over the timeline exhibit, you enter a replica of the Warren Hotel lobby, which operated until 1939, and Governor Oswald West was the first registered guest.

 

 In addition to the hotel, is a replica of a Native American longhouse where the tribes would hang meat, sleep. In fact a large part of the museum focuses in on the Native American tribes in the area, and not just how the area was developed and turned into the city it is today.

 

The third item that is a nice addition to the museum is a seasonal quilt show that is held in the classroom. From antique quilts, local quilts which rotates four times a year.

 

And speaking of rotating exhibits, the museum also has a rotating exhibit, which when I visited was focused on Native American baskets. The December 2010 exhibit is expected to be Depression-era photography, and the show changes about once every six months so there is something new.

 

“We have been really lucky with the high quality exhibits we have been able to show,” Saad says. “It’s been one of the more popular aspects of the museum.”

 

About the Cannon Beach History Center and Museum: The goal of the museum is to preserve the history of Cannon Beach by seeking, collecting, and protecting historical memorabilia of all kinds, by recording oral histories, and by making these materials available to the public whenever possible.

 

What to bring: Cameras are allowed in the museum and besides that, there is little else you will need to view the exhibits.

 

Season: The museum is open year-round, although there are more programs in the summer months – the museum also offers a walking tour during the summer months. In the winter months there will be less people, so it’s something to weigh.

 

Getting there: The history center and museum is located at 1387 South Spruce Street, off the East Sunset Blvd exit of Highway 101 – or the middle exit for Cannon Beach. The center has limited hours, so check its web site at www.cbhistory.org before you plan your trip.

 

Tips: While it might seem small, if you take the time to look at all the exhibits and view the videos and replicas, your visit can easily take an hour. In addition the museum operates on donations, so making a donation or spending money in the gift shop helps them keep the doors open.

 

Story by Patrick Johnson, a free-lance writer based in Canby, OR.