Detroit River Canons

by Joel Stone

On Wednesday October 5, 2011, members of the Detroit Police Department Underwater Recovery Team retrieved a cannon barrel from the Detroit River. The tube was found in July by Sgt. Dean Rademaker, and is similar to iron ordnance recovered in the same area over the last twenty seven years. This pre-Revolutionary War artillery piece revealed much, but generated more questions than answers. This presentation will discuss North American artillery of the period, its role in the region’s development, and the recovery operation that brought this latest cannon to the surface after two centuries.