A new barrel was purchased for the cannon, and it was fired once again in 2015 after a three-year hiatus. The college raised $7,500 to restore the cannon.
In 2015, Fort Lewis College upgraded its cannon to shoot off at football games. The cannon has been a long-standing tradition that had to be abandoned when an older cannon became unsafe to use. A new barrel was purchased for the cannon, and it was fired again after a three-year hiatus. The college raised $7,500 to restore the cannon.
Fort Lewis College’s cannon shoots a 4 ounce black-powder charge.
The cannon is lit whenever the Skyhawks score.
Herald staff
Fort Lewis College will open its football season Friday in a unique night game played off-campus at the Durango High School stadium. Along with the Skyhawks, FLC will bring its Civil War-era cannon to be fired after FLC scores. The “boom” can typically be heard in Durango when the cannon is fired on campus at FLC’s Ray Dennison Memorial Field, but Durangoans will be much more aware of the noise after the game against New Mexico Highlands University kicks off at 6 p.m.
