Fort Clatsop National Memorial

Welcome, distinguished traveler, to the profound and evocative grounds of Fort Clatsop National Memorial, nestled within the lush, rain-swept greenery of the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park in the Pacific Northwest. I…

Our exploration begins here, inside the warmly lit confines of the Visitor Center and Museum. Before we step out into the rugged elements that defined the expedition's winter, it is crucial to ground ourselves in the material…

Stepping out from the museum, we immediately encounter the ethnobotanical garden, a living testament to the biological discoveries of the Corps of Discovery. This curated space is not merely a collection of flora; it is a…

We now approach the focal point of the memorial: the reconstructed Fort Clatsop. As you gaze upon this simple, rustic wooden palisade, it is critical to adjust your expectations of what a military fort entails. …

Step carefully through the low wooden doorway into this small, dimly lit chamber. This specific room served as the private quarters for the Charbonneau family, representing a unique and vital dynamic within the military…

Moving into the adjacent chamber, we enter the nerve center of the winter encampment: the quarters of Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. While the physical dimensions of this room are as modest and spartan as the…

Our next stop within the fort complex brings us to the orderlies' quarters and the adjacent meat storage room, areas that starkly illustrate the daily, unglamorous grind of survival. This section housed the enlisted men, as well…

Leaving the immediate confines of the wooden fort, we walk a short distance to the site of the historical freshwater spring and the beginning of the expansive trail system. Look closely at the geography here; you might notice the…

Our walking tour culminates roughly two hundred yards from the fort at the historic canoe landing. Here, the land gently slopes down to meet the dark, moving waters of what the indigenous people and the explorers called the Netul…

As we conclude our audio journey and return to our starting point near the Visitor Center, take a final, lingering look at the dense timber and the often-grey skies of Fort Clatsop. The Corps of Discovery survived here for one…