Fort Clatsop Suggested Historic Area Report

C. Condition and previous development.

In general, the physical condition of the site may be described as excellent, with sufficient development to serve fairly adequately the needs of a small, local historical monument receiving not more than 12,000 visitors annually. The only marked deficiencies in development relate to interpretive facilities, which are almost completely lacking, and sanitary facilities, which are rudimentary.

The property is attractive in appearance. The fort site and its immediate surroundings are quite heavily wooded, thus presenting at least an illusion of the primitive scene as it was at the time of Lewis and Clark's visit. The present historic site property is not large enough to preserve this scene. Thus the continuance of the present appearance is dependent upon the continued lack of development of the surrounding privately owned land. The sections of the property devoted to public use have been cleared of undergrowth and are partially covered with sod.

Existing developments on the 5.9 acres of historic site property are as follows:

1. Access roads and parking area. A paved county road (Fort Clatsop loop Road), which in general parallels the west bank of the Lewis and Clark River, traverses the Oregon Historical Society tract from north to south. From this county road a single-lane, gravel-surfaced access road, with a bifurcated entrance, leads up the slope to the parking area adjacent to the fort site. Each fork of the entrance road is about 150 feet long. From their junction to the parking lot is another 250 feet. The gravel surface on this road is not heavy, but it is adequate to provide traction even after prolonged rains.

The parking lot consists of a level area, about 3/4 acre in extent, which has been cleared of trees and brush. Gravel has been spread over most of this area, but the coating is not every where heavy enough to provide firm support for automobiles after heavy rains.

From the south end of the parking lot a single-lane exit road carries traffic back down the slope to the county road, which it joins at the southern end of the Oregon Historical Society tract. Gravel has been applied to this road, but not heavily enough to pre vent mud during rains.

2. Historical marker. A modest bronze tablet, set in concrete, commemorates Fort Clatsop. It evidently marks the spot pointed out by pioneer settlers to the Oregon Historical Society in 1901 as the fort site. Except for several directional signs and one sign identifying trenches left from archeological excavations, this plaque is the only interpretive marker on the historical property. Its text is as follows:

"This marks the site of
OLD FORT CLATSOP
Established by LEWIS and CLARK
A.D. 1805-6
Oregon Historical Society, Custodian."

3. "Replica" of Fort Clatsop. At present, the most noticeable development on the property is a log structure generally termed a "replica of Fort Clatsop," or the "Fort Clatsop restoration." The structure was completed in the summer of 1955.

The overall dimensions of the fort are 50 feet by 50 feet. It is composed of two parallel buildings, each 50 feet long and about 15 feet wide. These structures, composed of horizontally laid logs, are 20 feet apart and connected on each end by a wall of pickets about 8 feet high. The south wall is pierced by a double gate which forms the fort entrance. There is a flagpole in the open court between the buildings.

The west building contains three rooms; the east contains four. The buildings rest on concrete foundations, the tops of which are only slightly above ground level except where exposed by the slope of the ground surface. The floors of all the rooms are of dirt, and the roofs are of heavy cedar shakes. There are no fireplaces in any of the rooms.

Logs for the replica came from the Columbia Tree Farm of the Crown Zellerbach Corporation. The logs were specially selected for uniformity of size and freedom from defects. During removal from the forest a and during later processing, each log was individually handled by cable sling rather than tongs to prevent damage. Loggers who assisted in the loading wore leather-soled shoes instead of calks. After being peeled, cut to the correct length, and notched, the logs were chemically treated in a vacuum pressure system. It is estimated that logs thus "Wolmanized" will resist insects and rotting for about 75 years. [83]

The replacement cost of the building has been variously estimated, some estimates running as high as nearly $50,000. [84] Indeed the actual investment of funds was quite high. The Crown Zellerbach Corporation estimates that its contribution to the project--in the form of labor, logs, chemical processing, and transportation--amounted to at least $20,000. The local Fort Clatsop Finance Committee, sponsored jointly by the Astoria Junior Chamber of Commerce and the Clatsop County Historical Society, paid out about $3,000 in cash for hired labor and materials. In addition, members of the Junior Chamber of Commerce and other civic organizations contributed a substantial amount of labor and materials to the project. [85]

The replica is surrounded by a 6-foot, man-proof, wire mesh fence, which is surmounted by barbed wire. This fence was completed in December 1955. The materials were provided by the Oregon Historical Society; the labor was provided by members of the Clatsop County Historical Society and the Astoria Junior Chamber of Commerce. [86]

Admittedly the replica is not an absolutely reproduction of the original Lewis and Clark fort. This stems, first, from certain compromises made necessary by accurate condition the desire to give the structure a degree of permanence and by the necessity of keeping costs within the range of available funds. Second, relatively little is known concerning the exact appearance of the original fort. The two floor plans of the post in Clark's records are not in complete agreement, and the information about the structures given in the journals allows considerable room for the exercise of the imagination. Therefore, even if unlimited funds were available, any reconstruction would of necessity be at least partially conjectural. Points of difference between the present structure and the original, as known from records of the expedition, include the following:

a. Certain present-day features such as concrete foundations, modern metal spikes, and milled gutters were not present in the original fort.

b. The roofs of the replica are covered with shakes instead of the split boards, each about 10 feet by 2 feet by 11/2 inches, which covered the original cabin.

c. The cabin walls in the replica are not daubed.

d. The replica is without chimneys and fireplaces, sentry box, doors, puncheon floors, and bunks, all of which were features of the original fort.

e. The restored fort has only one gate, while the original had two.

Of course, many of these discrepancies could be corrected by the expenditure of additional funds. But, no matter how carefully the work might be done, it will never be possible to make an exact replica of Fort Clatsop.

4. Well, pump, and drinking fountain. A well, 45 feet deep, and producing 6 gallons of water a minute, was completed in January 1955. The drilling cost was $315. An electric pump, housed in a small wooden shed, was installed over the well, and pipes were laid to conduct the water to a drinking fountain, which was a gift of the local D. A. R. chapter.

5. Miscellaneous improvements. Two wooden comfort stations, each containing one pit-type toilet, are on the Oregon Historical Society property. If visitation increases, more adequate comfort station facilities will be a necessity.

A public telephone, located in a small outdoor-type booth, adjoins the pump house. There are four picnic tables on the grounds.