Fort Clatsop
Fort Clatsop
Fort Clatsop was the encampment of the Lewis and Clark Expedition (Corps of Discovery) in the Oregon Country. Located near the mouth of the Columbia River this site served as their camp from December 8, 1805 until their departure on March 23, 1806. Fort Clatsop is located along the Lewis and Clark River at the north end of the Clatsop Plains approximately 5 miles southwest of Astoria, the fort was the last encampment of the Corps of Discovery before embarking on their return trip east to St. Louis. Now the site is known as the Fort Clatsop National Memorial.
The Historical Site
Upon the Corps of Discovery departure in March 1806, the fort rapidly decayed in the wet coastal forest of the western Oregon region, but was reconstructed in 1955 from sketches in the journals of William Clark. The National Park Service maintains a replica fort within the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park that is believed to sit on, or near the site of the original fort. The original fort, however, has not been seen since the mid-19th century and, despite efforts, remains of the fort continue to elude archaeologists. Archaeologists working at the site over the past six decades have described countless subsurface “pit” and “lens” features, variously interpreted as fire hearths and trash or privy pits, and sometimes interpreted as evidence of Lewis and Clark. The ubiquity of such features on the landscape and the absence of corroborative artifactual evidence call into question their anthropogenic origin, and archaeologists have often failed to consider the full range of site formation processes acting on the site. The replica of the fort constructed for the sesquicentennial in 1955 and lasted fifty years; it was severely damaged by fire in early October 2005, weeks before Fort Clatsop's bicentennial. A new replica, more rustic and rough-hewn, was built by about 700 volunteers in 2006; it opened with a dedication ceremony that took place on December 9.
Fort
Fort Clatsop was the encampment of the Lewis and Clark Expedition (Corps of Discovery) in the Oregon Country. Located near the mouth of the Columbia River this site served as their camp from December 8, 1805 until their departure on March 23, 1806. Fort Clatsop is located along the Lewis and Clark River at the north end of the Clatsop Plains approximately 5 miles southwest of Astoria, the fort was the last encampment of the Corps of Discovery before embarking on their return trip east to St. Louis. Now the site is known as the Fort Clatsop National Memorial.
The Historical Site
Upon the Corps of Discovery departure in March 1806, the fort rapidly decayed in the wet coastal forest of the western Oregon region, but was reconstructed in 1955 from sketches in the journals of William Clark. The National Park Service maintains a replica fort within the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park that is believed to sit on, or near the site of the original fort. The original fort, however, has not been seen since the mid-19th century and, despite efforts, remains of the fort continue to elude archaeologists. Archaeologists working at the site over the past six decades have described countless subsurface “pit” and “lens” features, variously interpreted as fire hearths and trash or privy pits, and sometimes interpreted as evidence of Lewis and Clark. The ubiquity of such features on the landscape and the absence of corroborative artifactual evidence call into question their anthropogenic origin, and archaeologists have often failed to consider the full range of site formation processes acting on the site. The replica of the fort constructed for the sesquicentennial in 1955 and lasted fifty years; it was severely damaged by fire in early October 2005, weeks before Fort Clatsop's bicentennial. A new replica, more rustic and rough-hewn, was built by about 700 volunteers in 2006; it opened with a dedication ceremony that took place on December 9.
Fort