Fort Clatsop Suggested Historic Area Report

F. Possibility of preservation

Since there are no physical remains of the original Fort Clatsop, at least above ground, the problem of preserving an existing historic structure is not involved at this site. The problem, rather, is that of preserving the ground on which the original structure stood and the historic scene surrounding it.

Even under the present ownership, it is probable that the actual ground on which Fort Clatsop stood can be preserved indefinitely for historic monument use. The Oregon Historical Society has managed to do so for more than 50 years and, if no program of extensive public use is involved, it probably can continue to hold the property through out the foreseeable future. So dense is the natural forest growth in the vicinity, that the present acreage, if properly landscaped, will suffice to preserve at least an illusion of the historic setting despite the probability that the surrounding property will see increasing residential and commercial development.

However, if the site is to be operated as a historic monument open to public use, even on its present scale, it is doubtful if the present owning and operating agencies can continue to assure such preservation. This doubt becomes almost a certainty as regards the proper preservation of the site--with adequate provision for public access, with acquisition of additional property needed to fully protect the historic scene and to include subsidiary sites connected with the original fort, and with proper interpretive and administrative facilities.

Probable cost of operation. If the present facilities and improvements are retained, and if the aim of the site operation is only to provide the minimum of interpretation and visitor accommodations, the mere preservation of the site will require the following annual expenditures by the local administrative agency:

Probable cost of repairs. If a more adequate historical monument, with somewhat more than the bare minimum of interpretive and visitor facilities, is to be operated at the site, certain capital expenditures should be made at the outset by the local operating agency. Rough estimates of these expenditures are as follows:

Possibility of income from fees and other charges. There is a good possibility that visitor fees could produce a substantial revenue, although this income probably never would be sufficient to cover operating and maintenance expenses of an adequately protected and interpreted historical monument.

During the summer of 1956 about 11,000 visitors were tallied by a manually operated counting machine at the restored fort, and more than 9600 of these visitors signed the register book. Although no admission fee was charged, visitors were asked to make donations . During the period June 18 to September 17, these donations totaled $620.67. An admission fee of $.25 per visitor would have deterred some visits, but it probably would have produced about $2000 in revenue.

A further opportunity for revenue exists in the sale of interpretive literature and souvenirs. In 1956 the gross income from the sale of souvenirs--largely items produced for sale during the Lewis and Clark Sesquicentennial Celebration--was about $1000. The profits from these sales went to the Clatsop County Historical Society.

Undoubtedly visitation will increase in future years, particularly if interpretive and other facilities are improved. However, as visitation increases, so will the costs of fee collection and so will operating and maintenance expenses.

Possible local administrative agencies. Under present conditions, there is little possibility that either the Clatsop County Historical Society or the Oregon Historical Society, or both together, can obtain the amounts specified above to provide for the minimum improvement and operation of the site. The revenues of the Clatsop County Historical Society barely suffice to operate its museum in Astoria, and any additional funds it can obtain in the future will be required for that phase of its work. The Oregon Historical Society, established in 1898, is a sound institution, supported by both State and private funds. During the 1955-1957 biennium, the State appropriation amounted to $45,000, a sum which will be approximately one half of the total operating budget. For the 1957-1959 biennium, a budget of $165 320 has been proposed, of which $65,000 will be private funds and $99,800 will be requested from State funds. These rather substantial budgets, however, are required for the operation of the Society's museum, library, headquarters, and for its educational program. These budgets do not permit the operation of a historic monument at Fort Clatsop on the scale indicated above.

There are two means by which the present operating agencies might obtain the funds required, over and above any entrance fees, for the proper maintenance of a Fort Clatsop Historical Monument. One method, which has been proposed several times in the Astoria newspapers, is the levying of a special local property tax. The other method is to obtain a special increase in the State's appropriation to the Oregon Historical Society. The possibilities for obtaining passage of either of these measures are not great, but they should be explored.

Another solution of the problem which has been suggested periodically in the local press is the creation of a State park at Fort Clatsop. Oregon does have a State park system, administered by the State Parks Department, which is a division of the Oregon State Highway Commission. The system includes (1955) 161 areas, with a total acreage of 56,024. Funds available for expenditure in 1955 amounted to $1,265,414, Several of the state parks, such as Champoeg State Park and Willamette Stone State Park, have historical values. At first glance, therefore, this proposal would appear to have much merit as a means of preserving the Fort Clatsop site. And, as a matter of fact, the proposal may lead to an eventual solution of the problem. However, to date the State Parks Department has had little experience in administering historical areas as historical monuments, and there is the possibility that the Fort Clatsop area might not fit comfortably into the present park system.