The object reeled in from the Marais des Cygnes River Bridge in Ottawa by a magnet fisherman on Sunday thought to be a cannonball….was an actual cannonball. Dennis Murray, of Ottawa caught the cannonball on his magnet. Wanting to make sure it was not explosive, he asked the Ottawa Police for help. They, in turn called the Olathe Bomb Squad, who secured the object and took it to the Ottawa Law Enforcement Gun Range for further testing. They found it to be safe. From there, officials from the Fort Riley Explosive Ordinance Disposal Team examined it and found it to be an actual cannonball, likely from the Civil War Era.
The laws about cannonballs found in Kansas are a little sketchy. Ottawa Police Chief Adam Weingartner says the Fort Riley team would discard the cannonball. Murray says he would like to have it returned to him, or donated to the Franklin County Historical Society. He says it was his understanding that cannonballs found in Kansas become the property of the U. S. military, where in other states, they are returned to the finder. KOFO is investigating and will keep you informed.
