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In 1805-1806 Meriwether Lewis and William Clark wintered at Fort Clatsop after their journey from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean. The expedition and the maps they made helped other people like settlers and trappers to find their way to the U.S. Oregon territory.
As winter approached and rain and storms swept into the lower Columbia area. Within ten days Lewis and Clark decided to leave their awful storm bound camp on the north shore of the Columbia River and cross the river where herds of elk had been reported. Lewis, with a small party, scouted ahead and found a suitible site for winter quarters. The site had enough game for the winter, and a good salt supply.
On December 8 1805, the expedition members began to build a fort about three miles up the Netul River. By Christmas Eve they were under a roof. They named the fort after the friendly local indian tribe the Clatsop Indians. It would end up being their home for the next three months.
The members of the Lewis and Clark expedition stayed at Fort Clatsop from December 7, 1805, until March 23,1806. During their brief stay, they worked on their journals, organized scientific data, drew maps of their journey, and collected salt to be used on their trip back to St.Louis.
Life at the fort was miserable. It rained all but 12 of the 106 days at Fort Clatsop. Because of the dampness, nearly all of the expedition members got colds or other diseases. Clothing was rotting and fleas infested the furs and hides of the bedding. This test was so bad that Lewis and Clark often wrote of a lack of a full night's sleep.
 This is a picture of an Astor School student standing guard during a field trip to Fort Clatsop.
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