Fort Clatsop is a Unit of Lewis & Clark National and State Historical Parks. It was the winter encampment for the Corps of Discovery from December 1805 to March 1806.
The visitor center includes a replica of Fort Clatsop similar to the one built by the explorers, an interpretive center offering an exhibit hall, gift shop and two films. The center features ranger-led programs, costumed rangers in the fort and trailheads for the Fort To Sea Trail and Netul River Trail.
The park is open every day of the year except December 25th. Daily costumed programs and other ranger-led activities are scheduled during the summer months, beginning mid-June and ending Labor Day weekend. Other events are offered throughout the year.
December 1805 Fort Clatsop was constructed by the Lewis & Clark Expedition on the south side of the Columbia River. Toward the end of the monotonous winter they spent at Fort Clatsop, the men were desperate to return east. So by Mid-March, the captains gave the Fort to Coboway, a Clatsop leader, and the Expedition departed for the long trip overland, never to set eyes on Fort Clatsop again.
There have been two reconstruction efforts. The first, in 1955, lasted for 50 years until a fire destroyed the entire structure in the late evening of October 3, 2005. Federal, state, and community officials immediately pledged to rebuild it. Investigators found no evidence of arson. It took 18 months to build the 1955 reconstruction, much longer than the 3.5 weeks it took to build the original. Shortly after the fire, a second replica was built and finished in 2006. The new replica was built utilizing information on the original fort that was not available for the 1955 replica. The 2006 replica also features a fire detection system. The replica of the fort is not in the exact location of the original, as no remains of the original fort have been found. However, it is thought to be quite close to the exact location.
Text source: website Fort Clatsop, Wikipedia
Photo: Replica of Fort Clatsop. The Corps of Discovery stayed on this site through the winter of 1805-1806, living largely off trading with the local American Indians. The Corps of Discovery was a big coup for American empire-building, but it signalled the beginning of hardship and danger for the American Indian peoples of the west. Lewis & Clark National Historic Park, Oregon & Washington
Photo by Glenn Scofield Williams from USA - Fort Clatsop, Oregon. Uploaded by Droll, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15571359
