Fort Clatsop National Memorial

Jill's Journal: We’ve all heard the names “Lewis & Clark,” but if you’re anything like me, all you remember about them from U.S. history classes is that they explored the West. This exact replica of their winter headquarters, believed to be accurately placed within yards of the actual site, helped bring that history alive for us and certainly gave the girls a good head start on learning about the adventures of Lewis and Clark.

Shortly after the turn of the 19th century, Captain William Clark, Captain Meriwether Lewis, and 31 other explorers (a majority of whom were U.S. Army enlisted men) known as the Corps of Discovery were commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson to explore the Missouri River to its source, then establish the most direct water route to the Pacific Ocean. They left in May of 1804 from the St. Louis area and had covered over 4,000 miles and 19 months by the time they began building a fort in which to spend the winter in December of 1805 (near what would become Astoria, Oregon). They named their shelter Fort Clatsop after the local Indian tribe. By this time the members of the Corps of Discovery included the now-famous Sacagawea, along with her infant son and French-Canadian trader husband.

Lewis and Clark kept meticulous journals (and drew sketches) of nearly every detail imaginable about Fort Clatsop, so much so that the reproduction today is believed to be entirely accurate. They wintered here in almost-constant rain from December of 1805 to March of 1806. This spot is now part of the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, one of America’s newest national parks. Twelve key sites along a 40-mile stretch of the Pacific Coast in Oregon and Washington make up the National Park and mark where Lewis and Clark and their team explored.

This spot on the small nearby river, now named Lewis and Clark River, is where the party is believed to have landed in their canoes.

Underneath all this vegetation is a small spring which Lewis and Clark used for fresh water.

We had a proud moment at Fort Clatsop. Erika was chosen out of the audience to help the interpretive ranger lower the American Flag and display it while he spoke about the time in history. She did such a great job!

Notice the flag had 15 stars and stripes when used by Lewis and Clark, noting the first 13 colonies plus the states of Vermont and our beloved Kentucky (Erika was so excited Kentucky was on the list!). And actually, at the time of Lewis and Clark’s expedition, Tennessee and Ohio had also been admitted to the Union, but the flag hadn’t been updated yet (or at least not the one they carried).

Erika took her flag duties very seriously. Respecting our country and what our flag represents is high on our list of important things the kids learn on this journey. Our glimpse into Lewis and Clark’s own journey and our time at Fort Clatsop helped drive those points home.