You probably have gotten bored with all the Lewis and Clark's sites we have visited over the years, and today's post will be about L & C for the last time. The weather forecast for yesterday and through the end of the week showed that yesterday would be the best for outdoor type things. Off we went, traveling south on Route 101 to a small town called Chinook. There was a Heritage Marker which when we stopped to see it, told about the California condor that the Corps captured/killed, measured and preserved it's head to send back to President Jefferson. The site is under construction but what I felt was WOW, they were here at this place. The tide was out and when we walked to the water's edge, all we could see was mud flats. Could see to the west Cape Disappointment's Light House and the Pacific Ocean we visited the day before.
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| Condor Site - looking at Cape Disappointment's Lighthouse |
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| Dismal Nitch |
We visited Dismal Nitch, about 1 mile beyond the Astoria Megler expansion bridge over the Columbia River, the site where the Corps were pinned against the shore during their push to make it to the ocean. Torrential rains, high winds, and huge waves stopped them for 5 days as they hugged the shoreline, then they moved to Station Camp, located a couple miles closer to the ocean on the north side of the Columbia (Washington side) and this is the place where L & C set up camp for 10 days, took a poll of all the party to see if crossing to the south side of Columbia would be better, the Indians told them that game was more plentiful and would be protected more from the elements and build a winter encampment. Decided to cross the Columbia to the south side and build a fort. At Station Camp I remarked that this site was newly built/constructed. As it turns out, in 2011 the descendants of Clark, in a formal presentation, gave a dugout canoe back to the Chinook Indians for the one that the Corps stole back in 1805. The canoe is a powerful and spiritual thing and to have one stolen was not good, and not forgotten, and was informed to the present day descendants of this infraction.
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| Station Camp |
Some things that struck me as we drove over Astoria Megler Bridge: the tide was out, lots of sand bars, and this is a HUGE WIDE river!!!!! As you travel over the bridge you really get the feel of the openness and how close the ocean is. Coming back over the bridge later in the day, tide was coming in and you could see the flow of the water rushing in, white caps, the wind blowing - on a very clear day. Can you imagine during a storm?
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| Bridge Over Columbia River |
Drove over the bridge and continued on to a small town called Seaside, about 20 miles south on Route 101. Reminded us of being in Florida or Corpus Christie - beaches, very touristy, hotels, restaurants. Somewhere in this town was the Salt Works, located on private property, that is the actual site of where three members of the Corps engaged in making salt 24/7 during the time the rest of the Corps wintered at Fort Clatsop, making 4 bushels of salt for their return trip to St. Louis. I think by sheer luck we located the site. Salt was needed to preserve food. Then the last hurrah - Fort Clatsop - where the Corps built their fort and stayed until March, 1806 when they started their return journey. Of their time spent at Fort Clatsop, it rained all but 12 days. Ugh. Visited the replica of the Fort, went through the Visitor's Center; walked the trail to the Netul River where the Corps would get their fresh water and keep their canoes.
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| Salt Works |
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| Fort Clatsop |
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| Netul River |
I am very happy! Over 40 years ago I read the Journals of the trip and have always wanted to retrace as much of the trip as I could. We started out years ago at Harper's Ferry in Virginia where supplies were bought, men were recruited; had visited St. Louis where the outfitted Corps of Discovery began their journey up the Missouri River; visited North Dakota where they spent their first winter in 1804 at Fort Mandan on the Knife River; crossed over the Great Falls of Montana; drove over Lemhi Pass where they said they found the source of the Missouri River high in the mountains. As we came out of Lemhi Pass, came across Sacagawea's birth place; visited Traveler's Rest - the only verified/confirmed place where the Corps camped by the Lolo Pass in Montana; found where the Snake and Clearwater Rivers converged in Clarkston, Washington where they canoed; then finally where the Corps met the Pacific Ocean and wintered 1805. What a fun time we have had - and quite an education. Not only visiting so many more locations not mentioned above, but got to see so much of the country. So many times we would say - how did they know to go this way, or how did they physically do that?
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