The weather didn’t cooperate on our recent camping trip to Oregon. No beach walks or forest strolls. But we had a Plan B: Lewis and Clark National Historic Park, a collection of sites that honors the explorations of the Corps of Discovery in Oregon and Washington at the mouth of the Columbia River.
From 1804 to 1806 the 31 member expedition, led by Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, explored territories west of the Mississippi River largely unknown to white settlers. The Lewis and Clark Expedition produced early maps of the western territories as well as providing extensive scientific identification of flora and fauna. It was an epic, fascinating journey.
The Corps wintered at Fort Clatsop from December 1805 to March 1806. The original fort has vanished but a reconstruction from Clark’s journal imagines the fort as it likely was.
The Corps of Discovery spent 100 days at the fort and it rained every day but 12. We experienced the fort under authentic conditions. It was pouring rain.
Oh, yes! Authenticity makes a great impression, albeit a wet one. Yet it must have been fascinating to tour the place.
88 out of 100 is about par for the course still. It looks like an interesting site.
I would have enjoyed this a great deal. In teaching, my favorite subjects were WWII and the westward expansion…so much to learn in each case. When I first saw the title, my eyes sent a message to my brain that read “Fort Catslop.” I like it, even though it’s not correct. 🙂
Always good to have a backup plan! This looks like a fascinating place to explore — especially under authentic conditions. Amazing what Lewis & Clark accomplished! Can you imagine what they would think of Google Maps now? 🙂
I would love to come here. Their story is extraordinary.
During that winter they used the term wet and disagreeable, as I recall