Fort Clatsop Administrative History

Franklin C. Walker, 1985-1990

In November 1984, after ten years, Bob Scott accepted the superintendent position at Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho. His replacement was Frank Walker, who arrived at Fort Clatsop from Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. At Carlsbad, Walker served as Chief of Interpretation and Visitor Services, where he had managed a large staff and a busy schedule. Fort Clatsop was his first superintendent position.

Upon his arrival at Fort Clatsop in March 1985, Walker first dealt with more questions regarding the "Arrival" project and the best location at the memorial for the statue, which he resolved through the placement of exhibit lighting to enhance its placement in the lobby. [9] After a 1991 expansion project, the statue is now located in the exhibit hall.

In developing goals for the memorial, Walker recognized the need for management emphasis on infrastructure improvements. Six projects were accomplished at the memorial during Walker's superintendency. The sewer system was rehabilitated and a sewer lift station installed; parking and road improvements were completed; the trail east of the fort was made accessible for all visitors; shelters for the picnic tables were constructed; and the long-overdue visitor center rehabilitation and expansion and the installation of temporary visitor center facilities were initiated. [10]

The achievement of the visitor center expansion was no easy task and it required working closely with the Fort Clatsop Historical Association. Walker and the association took steps to strengthen the association board and to organize the association's finances and management, both in response to evolving NPS guidelines concerning cooperating associations and to prepare the association for the fundraising efforts of the expansion project. This began with the hiring of the first association business manager (a position previously handled by the chief of interpretation) in spring of 1984 to handle the association's sales and contributions to the park. The next step was increasing the size of the association board by three members.

The expansion project was costly. To acquire funding, FCHA, on behalf of the memorial, turned to Oregon Congressman Les AuCoin for assistance. The association offered to raise $600,000 towards the project specifically for educational developments such as library space. This fundraising was a tremendous effort on the part of the association, which broke new ground for cooperating association fundraising and contributions. Through a Memorandum of Agreement between the FCHA and the NPS for the $600,000, Congressman AuCoin was able to obtain an appropriation of $1.9 million for the visitor center rehabilitation project.

Many donations were received from around the community, supporters of the memorial, and from visitors. However, the bulk of the funds came from grants. The association busied itself writing grant applications to every foundation they could find to ask for money. The $600,000 was due in separate installments and the association worked to make one payment at a time, usually struggling to the last minute for each payment. [11] Through grants from foundations like the Meyer Trust Fund, the goal was reached and in 1988 planning for the expansion project began. The visitor center would expand from 3,300 square feet to 12,000. Lockers and showers for rangers doing costumed demonstrations, a new library space, collections storage space, additional exhibit hall space with new exhibits, an audio-visual booth for an enlarged auditorium and a multipurpose room, and increased storage space were all completed during the project, which would be finished in 1991. Walker and the memorial staff spent a great deal of time and energy involved in the planning process and developed a cooperative working relationship with planners from the NPS Denver Service Center and Harpers Ferry Center.

In 1989, Walker brought Dr. James Agee from the University of Washington to the memorial for an assessment of the park's needs in continuing the reforestation program and in maintaining the forest environment. Dr. Agee completed a conceptual plan for the forest landscape at the memorial, which included a ten-year guideline for maintaining the health of the memorial's forest habitat.

In interpretation, Walker made policy changes that had quite an impact on the memorial's costumed demonstrations program. Under Superintendent Scott, interpreters in costume could only be representative of members of the Expedition itself, white males, one American Indian woman, and one African American man. That policy reflected the definition of living history utilized throughout the NPS during the 1970s. Superintendent Walker shifted the memorial away from this policy and instead placed emphasis on hiring the best interpreters regardless of gender or race. This shift reflected trends occurring throughout the NPS at parks utilizing living history or costumed interpretation.

Through increased seasonal staffing and funding, the "Ranger on the Road" program, which brought the memorial's costumed demonstrations to Oregon and Washington schools, was reinstated. Thanks to the Fort Clatsop Historical Association, the memorial had $3,000 to cover the transportation and lodging costs of sending a memorial ranger on these field trips. The remainder of costs was met through NPS fee entrance program funds, which the memorial initiated in 1987. Through this arrangement, the memorial was able to fund the program.

After a visitor was injured by tripping on broken sidewalk concrete at the Salt Works site in Seaside, the memorial focused on improving the look and safety of the site. In 1985, working with Renata Niedzwiekca, historical landscape architect in the regional office, a landscape plan outlining developments and improvements for the site was developed. This plan contained a vegetation management schedule, which was implemented, and provided several landscape suggestions, including recommendations for signs and fencing. The aging sidewalk was replaced and a split-rail fence was installed, with an emphasis on landscaping the site in a similar manner as the memorial. Other recommendations included handicapped access, surrounding site development if possible, and research into proper restoration of the replica if necessary.

Frank Walker continued to maintain a strong working relationship with the community and local organizations. Walker had monthly meetings with the head of the Columbia River Maritime Museum, Fort Stevens State Park, and Clatsop County Heritage Museum. The meetings provided a support base for programs and projects occurring in their organizations. The Columbia River Maritime Museum agreed to store the memorial's exhibit collections during the visitor center rehabilitation.

The visitor center expansion project commenced construction in August 1990. In September 1990, Frank Walker accepted his new assignment as Superintendent of Nez Perce National Historical Park in Idaho.