RATING: ♦♦♦♦♦
Lewis and Clark and their team of explorers, called the Corps of Discovery, ended their expedition at the mouth of the Columbia River close to where the town of Astoria is now located. They spent the winter of 1805-1806 in a fort they had built, Fort Clatsop, named for the local Indian tribe. The fort was the last encampment of the Corps of Discovery before they embarked on their return trip back to St. Louis.
Over time, the original fort decayed in the wet climate of the region, but was reconstructed from sketches in the journals of William Clark in 1955 for the fort’s sesquicentennial. This replica lasted for fifty years, but was damaged by fire in 2005, just weeks before the fort’s bicentennial. A new replica was built in 2006.
It was fascinating to visit these areas that were explored by Lewis and Clark. The Corps’ objectives were to study the area’s plants, animals, and geography, as well as establish a U.S. claim to the Pacific Northwest and Oregon territory by documenting an American presence there before other Europeans.
In addition to the fort, we were able to visit the salt works sight in the nearby town of Seaside where some of the team boiled ocean water to make salt for seasoning and preserving their food. Our campground was in Seaside, which is also known as the end of the trail for the explorers.
