09/06/2026
The M1904 3-Inch Field Gun, entered service in the Utah National Guard shortly after the Utah Light Artillery, also known as as the 1st Utah Artillery, returned from the Philippines at the conclusion of the Spanish American War. The Utah Light Artillery used the M1904 during training in the years leading up to World War I, when the Utah Light Artillery was redesigned as the 145th Field Artillery Regiment just prior to mobilizing to France where they fell in on French 75mm cannons.
The 145th Field Artillery and the newly organized 222nd Field Artillery continued to use the M1904 during training during the interwar period and modernized the cannon by replacing the wagon wheels with rubber tires just prior to World War II. However, the M1904 would remain home in Utah when the Utah Field Artillery units deployed in World War II with more modern cannons and the M1904 was retired.
This very M1904 was painted red and used as a traveling trophy. It awarded to the top Field Artillery Firing Battery of the year in Utah and was displayed in from of the armories of the units of the 140th Field Artillery, 145th Field Artillery, and 222nd Field Artillery throughout and beyond the Cold War era. When this tradition ended, the cannon found its home in Cedar City where it was used by the 2nd Battalion 222nd Field Artillery and the Southern Utah University Army ROTC in parades and football games leading up to and during the Global War on Terror. The cannon’s firing mechanism had finally wore out in about 2014 after over 100 years of service and sat quiet for over a decade.
In 2026, the SUU Engineering Department came to the rescue and engineering students; Jaxon Torgerson, Gavin Lipkin, and Abel Barcelon led Patrick Calvo, instructor of mechanical engineering technology, rebuilt the firing mechanism for their senior project. SUU Army ROTC Cadet Luke Hall, also an engineering student, sparked the project and assisted throughout the process. This big red cannon, named Mjölnir after Thor’s hammer, made its legendary return onto the SUU Football field and the SUU Army ROTC fired a barrage of rounds during the victorious first home game of the season on September 5, 2026!
Go T-Birds!!!
