Fort Clatsop
Fort Clatsop was the encampment of the
Lewis and Clark Expedition in the
Oregon Country near the mouth of the
Columbia River during the winter of
1805-
1806. Located along the
Lewis and Clark River at the north end of the
Clatsop Plains approximately 5 mi (8 km) southwest of
Astoria,
Oregon, the fort was the last encampment of the Corps of Discovery before embarking on their return trip east to
St. Louis. The site is now protected as part of
Lewis and Clark National and State Historical Parks. It should be noted that the reconstructed fort was severely damaged by fire in 2005, and is closed to the public as attempts are being made to reconstruct the historical fort once again. It is hoped that the fort will be reopened to the public for its bicentennial celebration in 2006.
The fort was named after the local
Clatsop tribe of
Native Americans. The Corps of Discovery moved into the fort on
December 25, 1805. The original stockade was a small cramped wooden structure, more of a barracks than a defensible structure. By their own accounts, the Corps members were largely miserable during the damp cold winter on the Pacific Coast. Whereas the previous winter on the
Great Plains they spent a great amount of time interacting with the local
Native Americans, at Fort Clatsop their interaction with the local Clatsop was not social and was limited mostly to small-scale trading. The fort was opened to trading only 24 days during the entire winter.
The expedition's journals do not give a precise layout of the fort, and the two floorplans drawn Sergeant
John Ordway and Captain
William Clark differ. Clark's floorplan is the accepted version due to his rank and role in the construction work.
The area they had settled in was on the lands of the
Clatsop tribe, one of the
Lower Chinookan peoples. Prior to the expedition's arrival, the Clatsop had frequently traded with other
European traders and explorers visiting the area by ship. Because of their prior experience with traders, the Clatsop were shrewd at valuing the expedition's "indian trinkets". Despite this, the tribe interacted frequently with the expedition, trading goods, services, and information.
The camp site was selected by Captain Lewis and construction took place over the month of December, with the expedition moving in by Christmas Day, 1805. They remained there until
March 23, 1806, when they abandoned it for their return home.
The original fort decayed in the wet climate of the region but was reconstructed in
1955 from sketches in the journals of
William Clark. The site is currently operated by the
National Park Service.
Recent fire has destroyed the re-created fort
On the late evening of
October 3,
2005, a fire destroyed the replica fort; federal, state and community officials immediately pledged to rebuild it. Contributing to the degree of damage sustained, was a
9-1-1 operator's insistence that the fire was little more than fog over the nearby
Lewis and Clark River, delaying firefighters by almost a half-hour in arriving. Investigators concluded that the fire was an accident, and not the result of
arson, as was initially thought. The fire started in one of the enlisted men's quarters, known as the candle room. Earlier in the day there had been an open hearth fire burning in the room. Despite the tragedy, the fire has renewed
archaeological interest in the site, as excavations were not possible while the replica was standing. Additionally, the new replica will be built utilizing information on the original fort that was not available for the 1955 replica. The rebuilt replica will also have a fire detection system installed in it.
*
NPS: Lewis and Clark National Memorial*
History of Fort Clatsop*
Dispatcher to 9-1-1 caller: It's just fog*
Ft Clatsop fire was accidental
