Cannon Beach History Center and Museum

Keelie here, checking in from beautiful northwest Oregon! Today I am visiting the Cannon Beach History Center and Museum. They collect lots of neat things here like artifacts and local oral histories from Cannon Beach to preserve its past. They have both permanent and temporary/rotating exhibits, that all celebrate Cannon Beach! They also host concerts and lectures on lots of interesting subjects like nearby shipwrecks, lighthouses, and past societies. Plus it has a perfect view of the ocean!

In the museum I saw an art exhibit that was all about unique textile work. I even visited a Native American Longhouse similar to what would be used for small houses or fishing huts. It was very authentic since nearby tribes helped to create it. Then I looked at the permanent exhibit where I learned about what drew people to the area, the coastal wildlife that lives nearby, and all about local history on lots of subjects ranging from Native Americans, Lewis and Clark, World War II and more!

Here I am at Necus’ Park after visiting my favorite part of the museum...the oral histories! I thought that was something special that not a lot of places have. I got to listen to and watch videos of people tell visitors about their lives at Cannon Beach over the years.

A short walk led me near the Breaker’s Point Condominiums where I found some awesome artwork. This is a wire sculpture of Lewis, Clark, Sacajawea and her husband Charbonneau, looking out to the Pacific just as they might have on their expedition 200 years ago. I think they enjoyed having a newfie to hang out with again!

Here I am with the actual cannon that gave this place its namesake! I learned that there is quite the story about the journey this cannon has been on. A ship called the USS Schooner Shark wrecked near the coast of Oregon. (Thankfully there were no fatalities!) As the ship broke apart in the water, pieces of it washed ashore and were later found– which is how this cannon was discovered! The museum has been focusing on preserving it in perfect conditions so that it won’t corrode. I was glad to hear that, because I don’t want this cannon to look totally different next time I visit!

Here I am at the beach with Haystack Rock behind me! This picture reminds me of a really cool project the museum is involved with called The Lighthouse Passport Program. People can collect stamps from different places they visit all across the country! When people buy the stamps, it helps to preserve the lighthouses and gives them a fun souvenir. The stamp they offer here is the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse Stamp.

Can you guess how many historical pictures the museum has?? Higher… Higher… keep going… it’s 12,000! You can look at them in person at the museum or check some of them out on their website. I wonder if years from now, this picture of me will make it into their archives.

Here I am at Whale Park. If you’re wondering why my big friend made its home here, it’s because Clark found a whale skeleton right near this area! He measured it to be over 100 feet long – that would give me bones to chew on for a really long time! It was a big deal to discover a creature of that size, so of course it needed to be commemorated, and today it gives people the joy Clark felt of finding a big whale by Cannon Beach.

I went on a fun walking tour the museum set up where I saw lots of really cool historic buildings. After that, I stopped back at the beach to relax and unwind from all the excitement. It was the perfect way to end the day; how beautiful is that shoreline?! Overall, I had a great day here in Cannon Beach!

Learn more about Cannon Beach:
https://cbhistory.org/
https://www.breakerspointhoa.com/what-we-do/
http://lewisandclarktrail.com/section4/orcities/seaside/ecola/whale.htm

Learn more about the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail:
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