The History of Cannon Beach: A Shipwreck, Whale, And Shifting Names
Cannon Beach, the reference originates with a naval schooner, the USS Shark, which shipwrecked on the treacherous Columbia River Bar in 1846. A section of the ship containing cannons drifted south and washed ashore near present day Arch Cape. Although iron, copper, and wood were salvaged from the wreckage, the cannons were lost as the tides buried them in sand.