News Release

Oregon Black Pioneers Exhibit at Fort Clatsop Visitor Center

Date: June 13, 2024
Contact: Jill Harding, 503-861-4421

OREGON – Lewis and Clark National Historical Park is pleased to host a special traveling exhibit “The Black Pioneers” until July 8. This eight-panel exhibit on loan from Oregon Black Pioneers is displayed in the Fort Clatsop Visitor Center lobby.

Between 1840 and 1870, Oregon’s government passed laws excluding Black people from rights afforded to white settlers. Despite this, a small number of Black Americans settled or remained in Oregon, challenging the discriminatory laws and laying the foundation for the state’s future Black communities. This exhibit highlights some of those Black pioneers who risked everything to build a better life for themselves and their families in Oregon.

Learn more about Oregon Black Pioneers, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the history of Black Oregonians, by clicking here. 

A unit of the National Park Service, Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, Fort Clatsop is located southwest of Astoria, Oregon, three miles off U.S. Highway 101.

The park is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; starting June 24, summer hours are 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Admission is $10 per adult and free for youth 15 years old and under. Passes to National Park Service sites are accepted.

For more information, call the park at [phone].