Fort Clatsop, Oregon

6. Fort Clatsop

The original fort deteriorated in the wet climate of the northwest, but in 1955, using Clark's sketches, area citizens and service clubs constructed a replica on the same site. Three years later it became a unit of the National Park Service, commemorating the national significance of this epic journey.

On December 8, 1805, the expedition members began to build a fort. By Christmas Eve they were under shelter. They named the fort for the friendly local Indian tribe, the Clatsops. The members of the Lewis and Clark expedition remained at Fort Clatsop until March 23, 1806. Life at the fort was far from pleasant. It rained every day but 12 of the 106 days at the Fort. Perhaps the most important activity undertaken during their winter here was the reworking of the journals by the leaders, and the preparation of organized accounts of the scientific data gathered during the journey. Here also, Clark prepared many of the maps, which were among the most significant contributions of the expedition.