Fort Clatsop Suggested Historic Area Report

D. Care.

1. Past. When acquired by the Oregon Historical Society in 1901, the level section of the site was used as pasture, and the remainder was covered with second-growth timber and brush. For a number of years thereafter, as far as available records show, the efforts of the Society were largely directed towards raising funds to mark the site, and relatively little, if anything, was done to care for the property or to provide facilities for the visiting public. In 1905 the Society received a request from C. A. Stone, of Astoria, for permission to create a public picnic ground on the site, with swings, refreshment and souvenir stands, and other developments, but seemingly nothing resulted from this proposal. [87]

A marker was finally placed on the site in 1912, and from that time the property seems to have received sporadic maintenance, largely by local civic groups. In a letter dated July 31, 1928, a member of the Society wrote that "quite recently" the tract had been cleared of brush, a fine flagpole installed in a cement base, and a bronze tablet erected. At that time Clatsop County was widening and improving the road to the site. It was noted that citizens of Astoria had contributed "considerable time and money" toward these improvements. [88]

Since funds were not available for the employment of a caretaker at the site, it was inevitable that there should be a certain amount of vandalism. The bronze marker plate was stolen at least three times between 1929 and 1942. Although recovered each time, it had to be removed entirely during World War II to save it from being taken and sold as scrap metal.

The Oregon Historical Society was unable to obtain maintenance assistance during World War II, and the site was neglected. Complaints were made that it was being used "as a garbage dump."

After the war the Clatsop County Historical Society assumed much of the burden of maintenance. In 1947, for instance, members of this organization cleared the debris from the grounds and arranged for the local police to make "frequent" checks to prevent vandalism and rowdyism. But such maintenance, dependent on volunteered labor, tended to be sporadic, and by 1952 the local press described the site as being in a "frightful condition," choked with brush and showing "plain evidences of years of neglect." [89]

The Clatsop County Historical Society and the Oregon Historical Society were concerned about the condition of the site but were unable to remedy it due to a lack of funds. Relief came in the fall of 1953, when the newly organized Astoria Junior Chamber of Commerce agreed to clean up and maintain the property. During an intensive three-week work project, the Junior Chamber and the Clatsop County Historical Society cleared the grounds, erected a new flagpole, restored the bronze marker which had been in storage since early in World War II, repaired the access road, improved the parking area, and made plans to build picnic facilities. The newly installed marker was dedicated on November 11, 1953. [90]

During the next year the maintenance and further development of the Fort Clatsop site became linked with plans for the Lewis and Clark Sesquicentennial Celebration, which was scheduled for 1955. As early as February of 1954 it was decided by civic leaders and organizations in Astoria that the city's participation in the celebration would center about the Fort Clatsop site. The Clatsop County Historical Society and the Astoria Junior Chamber of Commerce, with the permission of the Oregon Historical Society, organized a joint project to erect a replica of Fort Clatsop on the site, and to further improve the grounds by the installation of a well, pump, and sanitary facilities. [91]

This project was completed with the dedication of the restored fort on August 21, 1955. The maintenance of the ground was accomplished during the year largely as a part of the construction project, but once the work was ended it became apparent that additional protection was required at the site. Since funds were lacking for a permanent caretaker, a wire fence was built around the restored structure to keep out vandals. The fencing materials were supplied by the Oregon Historical Society, while the installation was accomplished by the Clatsop County Historical Society and the Astoria Junior Chamber of Commerce. The fencing project was completed early in December 1955. [92]

It was realized, however, that mere physical protection would not solve the maintenance and interpretive problem at Fort Clatsop. As the Astorian-Budget of April 4, 1956, pointed out in an editorial, surrounding the fort by a wire fence was certainly "a poor way to show it to visitors." A summer caretaker, said the paper a few months later, was "imperative." [93]

2. Present. Maintenance during the 1956 season was on a quite different basis than during previous years. The initial clean up and preparation was accomplished as before, through voluntary local labor, this time provided by the Astoria Lions Club. Clatsop County assisted by providing police inspection and the occasional attention of its road maintenance crews to the access drive and parking area. But the principal improvement was the provision of a full-time care- taker at the site during the summer months as the result of an arrangement worked out by the Oregon Historical Society and the Clatsop County Historical Society at a meeting on May 23.

The Oregon Historical Society agreed to underwrite the costs of the project, advancing $50 a month for the caretaker's salary and paying the insurance on the property. Visitors were to be asked to make small donations to help meet the expenses; and the caretaker was authorized to sell souvenirs supplied by the Clatsop County Historical Society.

On the whole, this program worked out very well during the 1956 tourist season. Some difficulty was experienced in finding a person for the caretaker position, but after a period of initial experiment, the job was filled satisfactorily. A retired government employee and his wife provided custodial and interpretive services during the period June 18 to September 17. The restored fort was kept open to the public from 10 a.m. to 6 p. m. daily. The money received from donations was turned over to the Oregon Historical Society and very nearly defrayed the costs of the Society's participation in the project.

3. Future. The ability of the Oregon Historical Society and the Clatsop County Historical Society to continue with the present caretaking arrangement is problematical. The success of the arrangement depends upon the continued availability of satisfactory caretakers who will agree to work on a full-time basis for a renumeration of between $50 and $75 a month. The chances that such employees can continue to be found over a period of years are not great.

Also, the physical maintenance of the property depends upon the continued voluntary cooperation of such agencies and organizations as Clatsop County (for road and parking lot maintenance and garbage removal) and the Astoria Junior Chamber of Commerce and Lions Club (for major grounds maintenance, clean-up projects, provision of new facilities, etc.). There have been lengthy periods in the past during which enthusiasm for such voluntary assistance has flagged, and there is no assurance that it will not do so again.

Furthermore, as visitation continues to increase, maintenance even upon the present scale will be inadequate. Before long the site will require a full-time, year-round caretaker, additional interpretive services, and increased visitor facilities such as modern rest rooms, paved parking lot, and improved access roads.

It is not realistic to assume that the Oregon Historical Society and the Clatsop County Historical Society will have funds available to meet the increased caretaking expenses which will be occasioned by growing visitation and enlarged facilities. As will be discussed below (section IV, F), it is unlikely that entrance fees, if charged, could produce sufficient revenues to meet such expenses; and, even should the Oregon Historical Society receive increased State appropriations in the future, such funds will be required for the proposed expansion of its main headquarters and for its educational and preservation programs.