4A • February 13, 2015 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com
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ELAINE TRUCKE
Seven wonders of Cannon Beach: The cannon’s journey
Ever wonder how Can-
non Beach got its name? The
story is as confusing as most
historical rumor-wrapped
tales, but it is still pretty darn
good.
A land parcel at Elk Creek
grew to be the town known
as “Eola,” which eventually
became Cannon Beach. But
that’s not really the story we
are going to focus on.
The focus of this story is
of the original cannon that
was discovered along the
coastline in 1898. This car-
ronade initially washed up in
Arch Cape in 1846. Where
did it come from? Well,
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discovered in our area was
torn, along with a portion of
the decking, from the USS
Shark.
USS Shark
The Shark, a U.S. naval
schooner, wrecked on the
Columbia River bar on Sept.
10, 1846. During the wreck,
Lt. Neil Howison ordered
three masts chopped down
and all 12 of the ship’s can-
nons jettisoned in an effort to
help lift the ship off of Clat-
sop spit. Before the ship’s
crew could take action, the
ship began to break apart,
and pieces of the wreckage
were scattered all over the
bar.
A piece of that wreck-
age with several cannons
attached washed ashore in
what is now Arch Cape.
Midshipman T.J. Simes was
sent to visit the location, and
his report indicates that he
was successful in “getting
one cannon above the high
water mark,” but high tides
forced him to leave the two
others buried (You might re-
member the exciting story of
two cannons being discov-
ered in Arch Cape in 2008.)
In a twist of events, the
cannon that was retrieved
was lost again. However,
tales of the cannon swirled.
In December 1863, mail
carrier John Hobson report-
ed seeing a cannon in Arch
Cape Creek (also known as
Shark Creek). Soon after,
however, the cannon be-
came lost when tides buried
it in the sand. Rumors of the
peek-a-boo sightings of the
cannon continued to spread.
Lost cannon
On May 29, 1891, ear-
ly coastal settler James P.
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named the area “Cannon
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non.
Austin knew that the can-
non was supposedly buried
in a creek bed nearby, and he
reportedly spent much time
and money on his endeavor
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matter how unlikely his dis-
covery might have been. He
searched unsuccessfully for
the cannon until his death in
1894.
Four years after Austin’s
death, mail carrier George
Luce spotted the cannon
in the waters of Arch Cape
Creek. He ran to tell Austin’s
wife, and neighbors John
and Mary Gerittse lent their
team of horses to pull the
heavy item out of the water.
Austin’s wife had the
cannon placed in front of the
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husband, and it was housed
there (I believe) until 1945.
The cannon moves
In 1945, Mel Goodin
purchased and platted the
land known as Cannon View
Park. To make way for home
sites, the cannon needed
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ELAINE TRUCKE
to be moved. George Van
Vleet, of Van Vleet Log-
ging, donated one acre to
the state on which to place
the cannon. The Oregon
State Department of High-
ways prepared a site on the
east side of U.S. Highway
101. According to an arti-
cle in The Daily Astorian,
Goodin, who was the owner
of the cannon, donated it to
the public. The cannon and
accompanying artifacts then
were moved to the new lo-
cation. How Goodin became
the owner of the cannon, I’m
not sure.
This is where the story
gets a little tense and even
political. I was told that
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was stealing artifacts from
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chain, or two went missing,
and then other pieces, until,
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non was “cut off.”
According to a story re-
ported by The Daily Asto-
rian on April 12, 1989, the
cannon and capstan had
been repeatedly vandal-
ized. It was because of this
vandalism that the Clatsop
County Historical Society
and the Heritage Museum in
Astoria chose to remove the
artifact and put it on display
in a safe and secure environ-
ment. On April 13, 1989, the
original cannon and capstan
SUBMITTED PHOTO
A child peeks into the cannon; the photo was taken in 1957. Several people have claimed
to be the child, but who it is remains uncertain.
were moved from the high-
way site to the Heritage Mu-
seum in Astoria.
As part of an agreement
with the Arch Cape Com-
munity Club Committee,
the Clatsop County Histor-
ical Society placed an exact
replica where the original
cannon once stood.
To the history museum
What happened to the
original cannon? Well, after
some years, the cannon and
capstan were given to the
fully established Cannon
Beach Historical Society
with the express understand-
ing that the artifact would be
stored with the highest mu-
seum standards. The dates
are questionable, but it looks
as though the cannon arrived
at the Cannon Beach Histo-
ry Center & Museum in the
mid-2000s.
In 2012, the original can-
non and capstan were sent
to Texas A&M to undergo
a conservation process to
SUBMITTED PHOTO
The cannon, capstan, and other artifacts were removed
from the shore, and possibly the USS Shark. Many of these
artifacts were stolen or damaged in the late 1990s.
stop the oxidation that had
occurred during the time
they were exposed to the
elements. The cannon that
Cannon Beach is named for
will once more go on display
at the beginning of next year
at the Cannon Beach History
Center & Museum. Though
the story of the cannon is
still a sore spot for some, I
believe that it is one of the
wonders of our coast. From
ship’s hull to town icon and
everything in between, that
little 1 ton cannon has had
quite a journey.
Elaine Murdy Trucke
is executive director of the
Cannon Beach History Cen-
ter & Museum. Her column
appears once a month.
STEVEN SINKLER
A look at some wines you’ve (maybe) never tried before
Here’s how a wine tast-
ing usually works: You put
some money on the counter,
and, in exchange, you hope
to taste some outstanding
wine.
Occasionally, people are
truly out for a strictly educa-
tional experience, but let’s
get real for a minute here:
Most people are in chill-out
mode and are hoping to get
large pours of really great
wine. In exchange, they are
likely to buy a bottle or two
of their favorites so they can
continue what has become
an enjoyable experience. I
can tell you straight up, I’ve
yet to hear someone com-
plain about a large pour or a
“bonus” pour!
So, on Saturday after-
noons, while most guys are
working around the house,
spending time with their
kids or taking a well-de-
served nap, I am hanging
out with customers in the
tasting room, pouring wine
into their glasses and telling
the stories of the wines they
are tasting. I love it when
the room is full and peo-
ple are having a good time.
And, it’s even better when
the customers really like the
wines in the lineup.
My plan is always to help
(Washington). A red grape
that is primarily grown
in Austria, the Czech
Republic and Germany,
Lemberger is known for
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fruit and black pepper.
Lemberger is a great wine
Second in line
to enjoy with roasted pork
The second wine in the roast and grilled foods. I
lineup was pinotage by was surprised that a cou-
MAN Vintners (South Afri- ple of customers had not
STEVEN SINKLER
ca). Pinotage is a relatively just tasted lemberger be-
new grape, which was cre- fore, but they had tasted
Shake up
iar with. I second-guessed ated by crossing pinot noir Kiona’s Lemberger.
For the most part, we myself a number of times and cinsault. Because of
The last wine in the
showcase wine from the wondering what the reac- its pinot noir background, lineup was marechal foch
3DFL¿F 1RUWKZHVW EHFDXVH tions would be and if I was MAN’s Pinotage had a cer- by Airlie Vineyards (Ore-
that’s what most of our cus- potentially risking our oth- tain familiarity to it. Pino- gon). Marechal foch is a
tomers are interested in. Re- erwise strong reputation, tage is a delicate red wine, French-American hybrid
cently, though, I decided to especially with our regulars. full of red fruit. But, where- that is commonly grown
shake up the Saturday line-
7KH ¿UVW ³ZLQH \RX¶YH as pinot noir has a unique in colder climates. I grew
up and named the tasting, never tried before” was ³IRUHVWÀRRU´ÀDYRUSUR¿OH marechal foch in Iowa
“Wines You’ve Never Tried aligote by Steele Wines SLQRWDJHKDVÀDYRUVRIFLQ- because it makes a high
Before.”
(California). Aligote is the namon and clove. Like pi- quality red wine and can
A couple of weeks before second most widely planted not noir, this wine would be handle the brutal cold of
the tasting, I starting work- white grape in Burgundy, a good partner with salmon, winter. “Foch” is more of
ing with the distributors following the chardonnay EXW WKH VSLF\ ÀDYRU SUR¿OH a fruit-forward wine, but it
to identify delicious wines grape. Aligote is also wide- would pair nicely with bar- GHYHORSVQLFHVSLFHÀDYRUV
made from lesser-known ly planted in Hungary and becue. Our customers liked that make it a good match
grapes. This isn’t as easy other Eastern European this one, too, and even bet- with spicy Thai, rich pas-
as you’d think. Across countries.
ter, it’s only $14. Again, ta dishes or your favorite
the world, wine is made
Very few customers had D WHUUL¿F YDOXH DQG ZRUWK barbeque. Because this
from more than 3,000 dif- ever tasted aligote before, taking a risk to step outside wine is made in Oregon,
ferent grape varieties, but but, happily, it was very your box.
several customers had also
the truth is that most wine well received. Score one for
tried this wine before.
Fruit-forward wine
comes from about two doz- the unknowns!
In the end, then, I’ll
The next wine was lem- have to get more creative
en grapes, and those are the
Steele’s Aligote is crisp
ones we are all most famil- DQGSDFNHGIXOORIDSSOHÀD- berger by Kiona Vineyards next time if I want to
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new favorites and give them
a solid, “Enjoy the vino!” as
they head out the door.
To that end, the Satur-
day tasting lineup typically
consists of four local wines:
two whites and two reds.
The staff and I research ev-
ery wine in the store, so you
can count on every wine on
our tasting bar being deli-
cious.
vors, with nice acidity. This
a very food-friendly wine
and pairs nicely with salads,
cheeses and seafood. Also,
at less than $20 per bottle,
it’s affordable and a great
value.
stick to the title of “Wines
You’ve Never Tasted Be-
fore,” but it was fun to
treat our visitors to some-
thing new and different
and to hear their reactions.
A few of our regulars gave
me a hard time, but, then
that’s what they usually
do, so I’m used to it!
Ready for adventure
The moral of this sto-
ry is that wine tasting is
just that — an affordable
way for you to taste wine,
ask questions and decide
if you want to take a bot-
tle home with you. Keep
your mind open because
your palate may be up
for the adventure even if
the grape is unfamiliar to
you. And, don’t wait for
me to find it for you; if
you have a wine you want
to taste, give me a shout
and I’ll be glad to order it
in for you.
No matter what wine
you’re drinking, please
drink responsibly. Don’t
ever drink and drive. We
want to see you again soon
in our tasting room!
Steven Sinkler and his
wife, Maryann Sinkler, are
co-owners of The Wine
Shack in Cannon Beach.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Carbon standards
To the editor,
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ings of the Oregon Legisla-
ture’s 2015 session was for
Senate Bill 324, which extends
the sunset for a low carbon fuel
standards program set to expire
Dec. 31.
The alleged purpose of car-
bon standards is to reduce the
“carbon intensity” of fossil
fuels. Producers of biofuels
will be given “carbon intensity
credits” for their production of
“renewable” energy products.
Suppliers of gasoline and diesel
will be forced to purchase these
“carbon intensity credits” to
“mitigate” their carbon dioxide
emissions.
The Department of Environ-
mental Quality estimates this
will increase the price of gaso-
line by about 19 cents per gal-
lon. Consumer user groups are
estimating costs to be closer to
$1 per gallon.
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tion of the covert tax to be pro-
vided to consumers. Most Ore-
gonians won’t realize that they
are paying an extra $2 to $20 to
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The carbon standards is not
really about saving the planet.
Even the complete elimination
of ALL Oregon greenhouse gas
emissions would not result in a
measurable difference in global
emissions.
It’s not about social justice,
either. Families living at or near
poverty levels spend the high-
est percentage of their income
for energy. They will suffer the
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cial and unaffordable increases
in energy prices upon them.
Oregonians concerned about
this misguided policy should
contact their state represen-
tatives and senators and urge
them to oppose SB 324.
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Why keep insurance
company?
To the editor,
A current TV ad line: “So
what I want to know is … why
do you still have that insurance
company?” We’d like to ask
that question of city of Cannon
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A month ago there was a
massive failure of the water
main 20 feet up the hill from
our Cannon Beach home.
The 30,000-gallon reservoir
drained in about three minutes,
then drew more water from its
feeder reservoir.
A lot of that water surged
down into our property and
under our home. Result: large
deposits of road gravel, rocks,
dirt and sand in garden beds
and yard; broken fence; under-
mined retaining wall, walkway
and foundation.
A month later, the city and
their insurance company, (CIS
– Citycounty Insurance Ser-
vices), have denied our claim
and refused to do anything to
repair extensive exterior dam-
age and clean up the mess they
made. An estimate for the res-
toration and cleanup is hefty.
We are frustrated that the
city has been slow to deal
with this problem for which
it is fully answerable. Where
are simple common sense and
neighborly respect here? Why
doesn’t our city have policies
and proper adequate insurance,
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for the damages their structures
have done?
A month ago! So … why do
they still have that insurance
company?
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