Last updated: September 5, 2023
Place
Fort Clatsop
Quick Facts
Location:
92343 Fort Clatsop Road, Astoria OR
Significance:
Winter encampment of Corps of Discovery
Designation:
National Register of Historic Places
Amenities
6 listed
Accessible Rooms, Benches/Seating, Cellular Signal, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Large Print, Trash/Litter Receptacles
Lewis and Clark NHT Visitor Centers and Museums
Visitor Centers (shown in orange), High Potential Historic Sites (shown in black), and Pivotal Places (shown in green) along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
History
Fort Clatsop was the winter encampment for the Corps of Discovery from December 1805 to March 1806. After finding a location that offered plenty of game and close proximity to the ocean, Clark sketched a preliminary site plan, and they began construction in early December. The fort was completed by January 1st and housed 32 men, one woman, a baby, and a dog. Joseph Whitehouse wrote that the officers named the fort "after a nation of Indians who resided near us, called the Clatsop Nation." They spent the extremely rainy winter collecting supplies, making salt and leather, and preparing their maps and journals.
After the expedition finally departed on March 23, 1806, Fort Clatsop gradually deteriorated. A reconstruction of the fort based on Clark's sketch was completed in 1955, but burned down in 2005. Today a second replica, completed in 2006, can be explored in the same location.
Today
Visitors can experience the newest replica of Fort Clatsop by walking through the rooms, hiking the trails around the area, chatting with costumed rangers, and participating in ranger-led programs during the peak seasons.
The visitor center located at this site provides basic amenities and offers a museum, bookstore, and two films. Make sure to check in with a ranger at the visitor center prior to exploring the park to get a map, receive additional information, and pay any park fees
In the Summer time, between Memorial and Labor day, you can visit the Fort any time between 9 AM and 6 PM. In the off season the rest of the year the site is open from 9 AM to 5 PM.
Fort Clatsop is a High Potential Historic Site on the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail.