Fort Clatsop (Astoria, Oregon)
Near present-day Seaside, Oregon, Clark goes beach combing while Indians look for fish stranded by the retreating tide. He returns to the main camp, soon to become Fort Clatsop, where workers fall trees and build a foundation. Near present Little Falls, Minnesota, U.S. Army explorer Zebulon Pike must continue on land dragging two sleds and a pirogue.
Mouth of the Necanicum
© 19 December 2010 by Kristopher K. Townsend. Permission to use granted under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
Beach Combing
a Cloudy rainey morning verry early I rose and walked on the Shore of the Sea coast and picked up Several Curious Shells. I Saw Indians walking up and down the beech . . . in Serch of fish which is frequently thrown up on Shore and left by the tide, and told me [Nicholas Biddle: in English] the “Sturgion was verry good”
—William Clark
Bartering
I attempted to purchase a Small Sea otter Skin for read beeds which I had in my pockets, they would not trade for those beeds not priseing any other Colour than Blue or White, I purchased a little of the berry bread and a fiew of their roots for which I gave Small fish hooks, which they appeared fond of—
—William Clark
Clark’s Lucky Shot
I Shot at the ducks and accidently Shot the head of one off, this Duck and brant was Carried to the house and every man Came around examined the Duck looked at the gun the Size of the ball which was 100 to the pound and Said in their own language Clouch Musket, [NB: English word Musket] wake, com ma-tax Musket which is, a good Musket do not under Stand this kind of Musket &c.
—William Clark
Fort-to-Sea Trail
The Sea Coast is about 7 miles distant Nearly West about 5 miles of the distance through a thick wood with reveens hills and Swamps the land, rich black moald 2 miles in a open wavering Sandy prarie, ridge runing parrelal to the river, Covered with Green Grass.
—William Clark
Laying a Foundation
found Capt Lewis with all the men out Cutting down trees for our huts &c.
—William ClarkIn the evening we laid the foundation of our huts.
—Patrick Gass
Weather Diary
Day of the Month Winds State of the Weather 10th N E rain a violent wind last night 6 to 9 P M. river fast with rain. Rained all day
—Meriwether Lewis[1]To assist the reader, the editor of this web page has spelled out some abbreviations.
Pike Continues by Land
After arrangeing our sled’s and Perogue, we commenced our march—the sleds on the Prairie, and the Perogue towed by 3 men. Found it extremely difficult to get along, the snow being melted off of the Prairie in spots . . . . Distance 5 miles.
—Zebulon M. Pike[2]Donald Jackson, The Journals of Zebulon Montgomery Pike (Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 1966), 67.
Fort Clatsop is a High Potential Historic Site along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail managed by the U.S. National Park Service. The site is managed by the Lewis and Clark National and State Historic Parks.
