Fort Clatsop Suggested Historical Area Report

A. Ownership of site

1. Present historic site property. The property now being operated as a historic the Oregon Historical Society in cooperation with the Clatsop County Historical Society, and that which has been suggested as a possible national monument, consists of' three contiguous tracts of land. The exterior boundaries of these tracts enclose an area of about 6.7 acres. However, a county road runs through the property, the right of way which occupies approximately .8 acre. The net area presently used for historical purposes is, therefore, about 5.9 acres.

The locations and boundaries of these three tracts are shown on Map 2. Legal descriptions are given in the Appendix. The owner ship of each of the three tracts, as determined from available abstracts of title, the Clatsop County Records of Deeds, the records of the Oregon Historical Society, the records of the Clatsop County Historical Society, and interviews with officials of Clatsop County, is as follows:

a. Oregon Historical Society Tract. The property owned by the Oregon Historical Society consists of two parcels:

Parcel (1). This parcel, consisting of about 2.9 acres, was purchased by the Oregon Historical Society for $250 from the American Mortgage Company of Scotland, Ltd., by Warranty Deed dated September 24, 1901. Excepted from this sale was the right to take clay from the property. The legal history of these clay rights is exceedingly complex, but as far as the present writer was able to determine, they have never been acquired by the Oregon Historical Society. Although commercial clay has not been extracted in this vicinity for a number of years, the possibility that operations might be resumed remains as a potential, if very remote, cloud upon the use of the property for historical monument purposes. This parcel contains the traditional site of Fort Clatsop, the reconstructed fort, the historical marker, the well, pump, and rest rooms.

Parcel (2). This parcel, consisting of about 2 acres, was purchased by the Oregon Historical Society for $250 from Gladding, McBean & Co. by Warranty Deed dated May 15, 1928. The clay rights relating to this parcel were acquired by the Oregon Historical Society along with the land.

The Oregon Historical Society has leased the oil, gas, and mineral rights relating to both of the above-mentioned parcels (except for a 30-foot strip along the east side of the Fort Clatsop Loop Road right of way) to the Standard Oil Company of California. The lease, executed May 2, 1955, is for a term of 10 years and must be renewed annually as long as drilling is not actually under way. At present, the lessee has paid fees which will keep the contract in force until May 2, 1957. Once drilling has been commenced, however, the lease will automatically remain in force as long as such work progresses or as long thereafter as oil, gas, or other mineral is produced.

In making the lease, the Oregon Historical Society inserted provisions designed to protect the property from physical defacement. The principal such provision is a stipulation that the lessee shall not conduct any operations above a depth of 500 feet from the surface of the land without the prior consent of the Society. As far as the present writer could determine through local inquiry, no oil or gas is being extracted commercially in Clatsop County at the present time, and it is rumored that certain oil and gas leases in the Fort Clatsop area have not been renewed by their lessees.

The Oregon Historical Society holds its acquisitions, including its Fort Clatsop property, in trust for the State of Oregon. Should the Society ever cease to operate, its assets would become the property of the State. According to Mr. Thomas Vaughan, Director of the Society, this trust provision would not present any legal impediment to the transfer of the Fort Clatsop property by the Society to the United States should the establishment of a national monument be authorized.

b. Clatsop County Tract. The property presently owned by Clatsop County at the Fort Clatsop site is approximately .9 acre in extent. This tract lies immediately to the west of the northern half of the Oregon Historical Society's Parcel (1). The northern part of the present parking lot occupies a section of this tract. The County's title was obtained through tax foreclosure proceedings on April 19, 1932.

By a deed dated October 30, 1905, this tract was sold for one dollar by A. M. Smith, et al, to the Concomly Tribe No. 7, Improved Order of Redmen, and to the Astoria Aerie No. 17 of the Fraternal Order of Eagles. Excepted from the sale were all oil and natural gas, if any, "in and under said real estate." Also a portion of the tract was subject to a right to dig clay granted to other persons by a prior deed. Thus, the oil, gas, and clay rights to this tract are not now owned by Clatsop County.

By an unrecorded lease, dated February 15, 1955, Clatsop County leased the tract for a period of 10 years to the Clatsop County Historical Society "for historical purposes only." The annual rental is one dollar. The lease contains the statement that the lessor's title was obtained through tax foreclosure proceedings, and it contains the provision that the lease shall be voided if the lessor should be divested of title.

According to information supplied orally by Mr. Otto A. Owen, President of the Clatsop County Historical Society, and by County Judge Guy Boyington, the Clatsop County Historical Society has made an offer to the County for the purchase of this tract. It is anticipated that the County will act favorably upon this application within about 6 months.

c. Clatsop County Historical Society Tract. The property owned by the Clatsop County Historical Society at the Fort Clatsop site is approximately .9 acre in extent. It lies immediately south of the Clatsop County Tract and immediately west of the southern half of the Oregon Historical Society's Parcel (1). The larger part of the parking lot occupies a section of this tract.

This tract was purchased by the Clatsop County Historical Society for $1 from Archie Riekkola, et ux, by a Bargain and Sale Deed (still unrecorded as of December 11, 1956) dated February 7, 1955. Excepted from the sale and reserved unto the grantors, their heirs and assigns, were "all minerals of any nature whatsoever including coal, iron, natural gas and oil, upon or in said land, together with the use of such of the surface as may be necessary for exploring for and mining or otherwise extracting and carrying away the same." The clay right situation concerning this piece of property is not clear and probably cannot be made so without a complete title search. Evidently, however, these rights were conveyed by a former owner to the Oregon Pottery Company in 1887 and have not been recovered by the Clatsop County Historical Society.

2. Land needed to protect site. In the opinion of the present investigator, the three tracts constituting the present historic site property do not provide an area adequate for the proper interpretation and protection of the Fort Clatsop site regardless of what agency administers it in the future. The considerations leading to this conclusion are as follows:

a. The proper interpretation of the site would require access to, and the preservation of the natural scene at, two important features not included in the present historic site property: (1) the west bank of the Lewis and Clark River where the exploring party landed and kept its canoes, and (2) the spring from which the party obtained its water during the stay at Fort Clatsop and the existence of which helped determine the fort's location.

b. The proper administration of the site would require the construction and use of certain developments which could not be placed on the present property without serious impairment of the historic scene. For instance, a considerable section of the existing road from the parking area is located on privately owned property south of the Clatsop County Historical Society Tract. This road could not be relocated onto the present historic site property without rather severe grading which would detract from the historic scene. Also, the present property is not large enough to permit the construction of such needed features as employee housing, visitor center, and a utility area without intruding on the historic scene.

c. The proper protection of the site would require additional buffer areas to preserve the historic scene. At present the country surrounding the site is largely timber land and agricultural property, and it is not too difficult to visualize how the area must have looked in 1805. This type of land use is changing rapidly, however, and residential and commercial developments are becoming more prominent. One existing residence, only about 300 feet north of the existing historical property, demonstrates how damaging this type of land use can be to the integrity of the scene.

In the opinion of the present investigator, the minimum area required to assure the proper interpretation and protection of the historical monument, in view of the considerations described above and in view of the topography, is that shown within the green line on Map 2. The achievement of this boundary would require the acquisition of approximately 32 acres of land in addition to the 6.7 acres within the exterior boundaries of the existing historical site property. The exact acreage involved can, of course, be determined only after a survey on the ground.

The land thus recommended for acquisition is in four ownerships, as follows (see Map 2):

17 acres Ragnvald J. and Jean Kraft
4.2 acres Archie Riekkola
5.5 acres Crown Zellerbach Corporation
5.3 acres L. H. and Ruth C. Wood [81]

If all of the above-listed property were acquired, the area would still be somewhat cramped in view of the facilities which would be required for an entirely adequate historical monument. In particular, the heavy visitation which can be expected would develop a need for a rather extensive parking area, which would have to be so located and so screened as not to disturb the atmosphere of primeval forest which should be created around the actual fort site. Further, there would be the problem raised by the necessity of giving access over monument land to the one-acre tract and residence owned by Kenneth C. and Ruth M. Miller and located about 300 feet north of the existing historic site property. Due to the terrain, it is probable that access also would have to be given over monument land to the unpurchased portion of the Kraft property. In addition, the view southward from the fort site could be rendered unsightly by residential or commercial development of the lowlands lying along the county road immediately to the south of the above-proposed monument area.

These problems probably could be avoided by the acquisition of all land within the yellow line on Map 2. The achievement of this boundary would involve the acquisition of approximately 69 acres of land in addition to the existing historic site property. Such an enlarged boundary would involve only one more land ownership than the minimum boundary recommended above--the one-acre tract and residence owned by Kenneth C. and Ruth M. Miller.

Ideally, a monument dedicated to the preservation of the historic scene at Fort Clatsop would also include land on the east bank of the Lewis and Clark River opposite the fort site. If the area within the purple line on Map 2 were acquired, only 2 additional owner ships would be involved, 4.3 acres of tidelands owned by Clatsop County and about 20.0 acres owned by Edith and Robert W. Johnson.

B. Appraised value

Before detailed consideration is given to appraised values, it should be stated in general that the determination of actual land values in the Port Clatsop area is difficult at the present time. After having been fairly stable for a long period, land values have begun to rise sharply during the last decade. This condition is due to the demands created by increasing population, to the changing character of land use in the vicinity, to the higher prices paid for timber, and to unsettled conditions as regards possible oil and gas deposits.

The unusual disparity between official assessed values and actual values is recognized by both the County and State. At the present time property values in Clatsop County are being re-appraised by the Oregon State Tax Commission, and until the work is completed the appraised values as given on assessment rolls will be of little use in estimating true values.

An example will illustrate the existing condition very clearly. Swamp land lying near, but not on the shore line of, the Lewis and Clark River in the Fort Clatsop vicinity is generally now assessed at $3 per acre. In accordance with the recognized relation ship of assessed value to appraised value for such land, the appraised value is about $18.00 per acre. According to the County Assessor, the actual sale value of this type of property is also about $18 per acre. However, a tract of such land lying a short distance northeast of the Fort Clatsop Site was recently sold to a commercial firm which wanted it for a special purpose for about $300 per acre.

1. Present historic site property.

Being tax exempt, the tracts presently owned by the Oregon Historical Society and by Clatsop County have no official appraised values. The 1-acre tract owned by the Clatsop County Historical Society is still carried on the County Assessor's records as being part of the tract owned by Archie Riekkola (the deed of sale being still unrecorded). The Riekkola tract is appraised by the County at $ 18. 00 per acre as logged-off land. The actual sale value of such land, according to the County Assessor, is generally assumed to be $18 or more" per acre. In actuality, any valuation as low as $18 per acre for this tract would be unrealistic, since in its present state it would be usable as a homesite, which land sells for $500 or more per acre in this vicinity.

As a matter of hard, commercial fact, it must be recognized that the three present historic site tracts, considered purely as real estate and without historical considerations, comprise some of the most valuable property in the neighborhood. About four acres of the land, being of suitable gradient for residential use, having good exposure and access to views, and being accessible to a county road and utilities, would be desirable homesite property. The value of this property is well recognized. As early as 1902, shortly after the Oregon Historical Society had acquired its original 3-acre tract, it was claimed by a prospective purchaser of the surrounding land that the Historical Society tract contained the only good building site and about all the cleared land in the immediate vicinity. Without the 3 acres, said a former owner, "the place is like a lock with no keyhole." [82]

In the unexpert opinion of the present investigator, a realistic actual sales value of the present historic site property, including the well, pump, and access road but excluding the reconstructed fort, would be about $3500.

Of course, if the property were transferred to a State or Federal Government agency for operation as a historic monument, it is assumed that no sale price would be involved.

2. Land needed to protect site.

a. Minimum area. It is difficult to determine either the appraised value or the actual value of the additional 32 acres suggested as the minimum necessary to assure the proper protection and interpretation of the site. This situation results from the fact that several types of land--agricultural, timber, logged-off, etc.-- are involved in most of the parcels concerned; and without an actual survey and appraisal it is impossible to tell how many acres of each type are within the suggested 32-acre addition. County assessment records are of little assistance, since the figures given therein are for entire parcels in single ownerships.

However, by combining the information received from the County Assessor and from personal observation on the ground, the following rough approximation was reached:

Property to be acquired from R. J. and J. Kraft. The land owned by the Krafts adjoining the present historical monument has a total area of 39.52 acres, consisting of 12.5 acres of agricultural land, 24.6 acres of logged-off land, and 2.4 acres of swamp land. The total appraised value of this land shown by the county records is $2620.

Since the 17 acres of the Kraft property suggested for acquisition comprise about 1/2 of the total property and since these 17 acres probably contain somewhat more agricultural land than the part not suggested for acquisition, it probably would be fair to say that the appraised value of the 17 acres equals about 1/2 the total appraised value, or $1310.

The actual sale value of this property would be much higher, since it contains at least 3 acres of cleared building sites, which land, according to the County Assessor, sells for $500 or more an acre. Also, some of the logged-off land now contains second-growth timber and thus might sell for about $100 to $150 per acre.

The actual sale value of this property, in the opinion of the present writer, would be about $3400. In addition, the purchase price probably would have to include some charge for severance damage to the remainder of the Kraft property, which would be cut off from the most convenient approach from the county road.

Property to be acquired from A. Riekkola. The 4.2 acres of Riekkola property suggested for acquisition presently are classified as logged-off land and are appraised at about $ 18 per acre. The officially estimated actual sale value of such land is "$18 or more" per acre. However, this property contains some timber, and in the new assessment the valuation of at least part of it almost certainly will be raised. Such timber-bearing land now sells for from $100 to $150 per acre in this vicinity according to the County Assessor. Acquisition of the entire tract probably would cost between $800 and $900, in view of homesite and timber potentials.

Property to be acquired from Crown Zellerbach Corporation. Determining the appraised value of this land is particularly difficult, since the 5.5 acres suggested for acquisition form only a small fraction of a large Crown Zellerbach holding in the vicinity. Four acres of the suggested addition are classed as logged-off land, part of a large tax lot consisting of 337.28 acres of logged-off land with a total appraised value of $6020. At an average value of $17.85 per acre, the total appraised value of the 4 acres in question would be $71.40. Ordinarily, according to the County Assessor, logged-off land would sell at or below this appraised value, but this land now has second-growth timber on it and probably would sell for about $100 to $150 per acre. The particular logged-over land recommended for acquisition (see Map 2) forms a strip south of the Riekkola and Clatsop County Historical Society tracts and perhaps was intended to serve as a route of access to the extensive Crown Zellerbach holdings to the westward. This fact might influence the price which would have to be paid for the property.

The remaining approximately 1.5 acres of Crown Zellerbach land suggested for acquisition consists of a 60-foot-wide strip of land along the west bank of the Lewis and Clark River. This strip was acquired by the company as a right of way in connection with its storage and transport of logs on the adjacent river. This property is appraised at $18 per acre; the official sale value is the same, but such land can sell for $150 per acre. Actual value might be higher, since the land apparently is important to the company in its quite extensive operations in the vicinity. On the other hand the Crown Zellerbach Corporation has been extremely cooperative in the Fort Clatsop restoration project, and it might part with the property at little or no cost to the acquiring agency. Because of the unusual circumstances, it seems impossible to estimate what it would cost to acquire the 5.5 acres. Perhaps $1020 would be a reasonable guess.

Property to be acquired from L. H. and R. C. Wood. These 5.3 acres are part of a large tax lot of 107.11 acres of mixed agricultural, pasture, and logged-off land. The total appraised value of the entire lot is $11,200, or an average of $104.56 per acre. Since perhaps 4 acres of the 5.3-acre parcel in question would probably be classed as timber land now, a more realistic sale price probably would be about $850 for the parcel.

Summary. The appraised value of the 32 acres suggested as the minimum amount of additional land required for the proper protection of the site is perhaps about $2038. An unofficial estimate of the present-day actual sale value is $6120.

b. Area needed for more adequate protection. The determination of the appraised value of the 69 acres of land (in addition to the present monument) within the more satisfactory boundary as suggested by the yellow line on Map 2 is likewise virtually impossible.

Approximately 2.5 acres of this land would be shore-line property, appraised at $18 per acre and with an officially estimated actual sale value of $18 per acre. About 4 acres would be Crown Zellerbach logged-off land with an average appraised value of $17.85 per acre and a present-day actual timberland value of about $150 per acre. About 28.4 acres would be from the Wood property, with an average appraised value of $104.56 per acre and an actual sale value of perhaps $200 per acre. The total Reikkola property of 4.2 acres is appraised at $76; the officially estimated sale value is the same. About 28.9 acres would be from the Kraft property, with an average appraised value of $66.29 per acre, or a total appraised value of $1916, and with a total actual sales value, including home-sites, of about $5800. The remaining acre consists of the Miller property (1 acre and residence) the land of which is appraised at $1000 and the improvements on which are appraised at $11,970. The official sale price of the Miller land and improvements would be about $12,970; a more realistic estimate is $16,500.

Thus, the total appraised value of the land and improvements within the yellow line is about $18,048; as best as can be determined, the actual sale value of the same property would be about $29,805.

c. Area suggested to protect view across Lewis and Clark River. If, to reach ultimate ideal boundaries, lands on the east bank of the Lewis and Clark River should be acquired as shown by the purple line on Map 2, the appraised value of the lands involved would be as follows: 4.3 acres of county-owned shoreline property, with no appraised value but an actual sale value of $150 per acre; and 20 acres of the Johnson property (mixed agricultural and pasture land) with an average appraised value of $181.73 per acre and an average actual sale value of perhaps $300 per acre. Therefore, if it should prove necessary to purchase the county-owned property, the total actual sale value of this east-bank tract would be about $6645.

C. Condition and previous development.

In general, the physical condition of the site may be described as excellent, with sufficient development to serve fairly adequately the needs of a small, local historical monument receiving not more than 12,000 visitors annually. The only marked deficiencies in development relate to interpretive facilities, which are almost completely lacking, and sanitary facilities, which are rudimentary.

The property is attractive in appearance. The fort site and its immediate surroundings are quite heavily wooded, thus presenting at least an illusion of the primitive scene as it was at the time of Lewis and Clark's visit. The present historic site property is not large enough to preserve this scene. Thus the continuance of the present appearance is dependent upon the continued lack of development of the surrounding privately owned land. The sections of the property devoted to public use have been cleared of undergrowth and are partially covered with sod.

Existing developments on the 5.9 acres of historic site property are as follows:

1. Access roads and parking area. A paved county road (Fort Clatsop loop Road), which in general parallels the west bank of the Lewis and Clark River, traverses the Oregon Historical Society tract from north to south. From this county road a single-lane, gravel-surfaced access road, with a bifurcated entrance, leads up the slope to the parking area adjacent to the fort site. Each fork of the entrance road is about 150 feet long. From their junction to the parking lot is another 250 feet. The gravel surface on this road is not heavy, but it is adequate to provide traction even after prolonged rains.

The parking lot consists of a level area, about 3/4 acre in extent, which has been cleared of trees and brush. Gravel has been spread over most of this area, but the coating is not every where heavy enough to provide firm support for automobiles after heavy rains.

From the south end of the parking lot a single-lane exit road carries traffic back down the slope to the county road, which it joins at the southern end of the Oregon Historical Society tract. Gravel has been applied to this road, but not heavily enough to pre vent mud during rains.

2. Historical marker. A modest bronze tablet, set in concrete, commemorates Fort Clatsop. It evidently marks the spot pointed out by pioneer settlers to the Oregon Historical Society in 1901 as the fort site. Except for several directional signs and one sign identifying trenches left from archeological excavations, this plaque is the only interpretive marker on the historical property. Its text is as follows:

"This marks the site of
OLD FORT CLATSOP
Established by LEWIS and CLARK
A.D. 1805-6
Oregon Historical Society, Custodian."

3. "Replica" of Fort Clatsop. At present, the most noticeable development on the property is a log structure generally termed a "replica of Fort Clatsop," or the "Fort Clatsop restoration." The structure was completed in the summer of 1955.

The overall dimensions of the fort are 50 feet by 50 feet. It is composed of two parallel buildings, each 50 feet long and about 15 feet wide. These structures, composed of horizontally laid logs, are 20 feet apart and connected on each end by a wall of pickets about 8 feet high. The south wall is pierced by a double gate which forms the fort entrance. There is a flagpole in the open court between the buildings.

The west building contains three rooms; the east contains four. The buildings rest on concrete foundations, the tops of which are only slightly above ground level except where exposed by the slope of the ground surface. The floors of all the rooms are of dirt, and the roofs are of heavy cedar shakes. There are no fireplaces in any of the rooms.

Logs for the replica came from the Columbia Tree Farm of the Crown Zellerbach Corporation. The logs were specially selected for uniformity of size and freedom from defects. During removal from the forest a and during later processing, each log was individually handled by cable sling rather than tongs to prevent damage. Loggers who assisted in the loading wore leather-soled shoes instead of calks. After being peeled, cut to the correct length, and notched, the logs were chemically treated in a vacuum pressure system. It is estimated that logs thus "Wolmanized" will resist insects and rotting for about 75 years. [83]

The replacement cost of the building has been variously estimated, some estimates running as high as nearly $50,000. [84] Indeed the actual investment of funds was quite high. The Crown Zellerbach Corporation estimates that its contribution to the project--in the form of labor, logs, chemical processing, and transportation--amounted to at least $20,000. The local Fort Clatsop Finance Committee, sponsored jointly by the Astoria Junior Chamber of Commerce and the Clatsop County Historical Society, paid out about $3,000 in cash for hired labor and materials. In addition, members of the Junior Chamber of Commerce and other civic organizations contributed a substantial amount of labor and materials to the project. [85]

The replica is surrounded by a 6-foot, man-proof, wire mesh fence, which is surmounted by barbed wire. This fence was completed in December 1955. The materials were provided by the Oregon Historical Society; the labor was provided by members of the Clatsop County Historical Society and the Astoria Junior Chamber of Commerce. [86]

Admittedly the replica is not an absolutely reproduction of the original Lewis and Clark fort. This stems, first, from certain compromises made necessary by accurate condition the desire to give the structure a degree of permanence and by the necessity of keeping costs within the range of available funds. Second, relatively little is known concerning the exact appearance of the original fort. The two floor plans of the post in Clark's records are not in complete agreement, and the information about the structures given in the journals allows considerable room for the exercise of the imagination. Therefore, even if unlimited funds were available, any reconstruction would of necessity be at least partially conjectural. Points of difference between the present structure and the original, as known from records of the expedition, include the following:

a. Certain present-day features such as concrete foundations, modern metal spikes, and milled gutters were not present in the original fort.

b. The roofs of the replica are covered with shakes instead of the split boards, each about 10 feet by 2 feet by 11/2 inches, which covered the original cabin.

c. The cabin walls in the replica are not daubed.

d. The replica is without chimneys and fireplaces, sentry box, doors, puncheon floors, and bunks, all of which were features of the original fort.

e. The restored fort has only one gate, while the original had two.

Of course, many of these discrepancies could be corrected by the expenditure of additional funds. But, no matter how carefully the work might be done, it will never be possible to make an exact replica of Fort Clatsop.

4. Well, pump, and drinking fountain. A well, 45 feet deep, and producing 6 gallons of water a minute, was completed in January 1955. The drilling cost was $315. An electric pump, housed in a small wooden shed, was installed over the well, and pipes were laid to conduct the water to a drinking fountain, which was a gift of the local D. A. R. chapter.

5. Miscellaneous improvements. Two wooden comfort stations, each containing one pit-type toilet, are on the Oregon Historical Society property. If visitation increases, more adequate comfort station facilities will be a necessity.

A public telephone, located in a small outdoor-type booth, adjoins the pump house. There are four picnic tables on the grounds.

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.

E. Accessibility.

1. Roads. The site is readily accessible by private automobiles, since the paved Fort Clatsop Loop Road (County Road No. 201) passes through both parcels of land owned by the Oregon Historical Society and within 200 feet of the restored fort. A graveled entrance road gives access from the county road directly to the fort site.

Seven tenths of a mile north of the site, the Fort Clatsop Loop Road intersects U. S. Highways 101 and 26. U. S. 101 is the main coast highway which runs from southern California to northern Washington. By this highway, Fort Clatsop is 7.4 miles from Astoria, which lies to the northeast; and 15.4 miles from Seaside, which lies to the southwest. By way of Seaside and U. S. Highway 26, Fort Clatsop is 95.2 miles from Portland. From Astoria, Portland is 106 miles via U. S. Highway 30, which runs along the south bank of the Columbia River.

2. Public transportation. There is no public transportation directly to the site. However, nearby Astoria is easily reached by Greyhound Bus and West Coast Airlines from Portland and other Pacific Northwest population centers. Taxi service and automobile rental service are available in Astoria.

3. Nearby population centers. Fort Clatsop is not situated in the immediate vicinity of any large center of population, but it is in an area which, though now relatively lightly populated, is growing rapidly. Clatsop County, in which it is located, has a population of 30,776, an increase of 24.6% since 1940. The nearest city, Astoria, had a population of 12,331 in 1950. It was estimated in 1956 that this figure had increased to 14,000. Approximately 40,000 people live within a radius of 40 miles from Fort Clatsop. However, the site is within easy driving distance of most of the Pacific North- west's largest cities. For instance, Portland is less than 100 miles to the southeast; Seattle is 184 miles to the northwest.

Population statistics concerning the surrounding country are unsatisfactory as indicators of the potential visitation to the site. Clatsop County and the nearby area at the mouth of the Columbia River form a recreation center which is rapidly increasing in popularity. Each summer the population swells with temporary residents as people flock from the interior to the seashore. Also, Fort Clatsop is, for all practical purposes, located on U. S. Highway 101, which in summer is a heavily traveled tourist route. The availability of hotels and motels in nearby Astoria and Seaside is a factor in encouraging travelers to linger in the area.

4. Utilities. Water is already available at the site through a well which produces 6 gallons a minute. The water table is relatively near the surface (45 feet), and it is believed that larger wells could easily be developed if needed. The water is safe for drinking purposes.

Electric power is already on the property, supplied from the lines of the Pacific Power and Light Company. Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company telephone service is already available on the site. Fuel oil and bottled propane gas are easily obtained in the vicinity.

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.

G. Relationship to areas already in National Park System

Geographically, Fort Clatsop is not conveniently associated with any area presently administered by the National Park Service. The nearest such area is Fort Vancouver National Monument, Washing ton, about 110 miles southeast of Astoria by rather circuitous high way routes. Mount Rainier National Park is about 170 miles northeast of Fort Clatsop by highway, and Olympic National Park (headquarters) is about 255 miles north.

Historically, however, Fort Clatsop has rather close links with at least two areas of the National Park System: Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, in St. Louis, Missouri; and Meriwether Lewis National Monument, near Hoherwald, Tennessee. The Jefferson National Expansion Memorial commemorate the westward growth of the United States, in which the Lewis and Clark Expedition was such an important and dramatic episode. The memorial is located on ground on which, or near which, Lewis and Clark were welcomed back to civilization, and there the explorers spent later years of public service. In the exhibits presently planned for the museum there, Lewis and Clark will be treated rather extensively in one major exhibit unit related to the Louisiana Purchase. The Meriwether Lewis National Monument commemorates the location on the Natchez Trace where Lewis died and is buried.

Other areas in the National Park System are less directly connected with the Lewis and Clark Expedition but share with Fort Clatsop an association with the same general historical theme--the American settlement and occupation of the Pacific Northwest . Among the areas having some degree of association with this theme are Scotts Bluff National Monument, Fort Laramie National Monument, Whitman National Monument, and Fort Vancouver National Monument.

H. Sponsors of the project

The project to obtain Federal assistance in the development and administration of the Fort Clatsop Site is not a new one. It goes back to at least 1905 and 1906 when the Oregon Development League, of Astoria, and the Oregon Historical Society sponsored legislation for a Congressional appropriation to purchase 160 additional acres at the site and to erect a suitable monument in commemoration of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. This effort was at least partly inspired by the earlier success of Sioux City, Iowa, in obtaining Federal funds to assist in the construction of a shaft in memory of Sergeant Charles Floyd, the only member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition to lose his life during the journey. A bill requesting an appropriation of up to $10,000 to erect a "fitting monument" at the Fort Clatsop site was actually introduced in Congress toward the end of 1906, but it did not pass. [94]

The next serious attempt to obtain the assistance of the Federal Government in the preservation of the Fort Clatsop site came in 1936, when the Astoria Chamber of Commerce through its secretary, Mr. W. H. Nelson, proposed that several sites in and around Astoria be designated by the Secretary of the Interior as of national historical significance. The Fort Clatsop property was one of these sites. After a field investigation by the National Park Service, the proposal to give national recognition to the site of Fort Clatsop was considered separately by the Advisory Board on National Parks, Historic Sites, Buildings and Monuments at its meeting on March 25-26, 1937. As the result of careful study and deliberation, the Board recognized the site "as having historical significance" but recommended it "for development as a state area, inasmuch as it seemed to have more local than national value." [95]

The matter apparently rested there until after World War II, when the Clatsop County Historical Society and other local civic groups began to clean up the site and rehabilitate it as a historic monument after years of neglect. Realizing that the local organizations and the Oregon Historical Society could not properly finance the maintenance of the property, the Clatsop County Historical Society in June, 1948, passed a resolution calling upon Congress to make the Fort Clatsop Site a national monument. This move was "encouraged," said the local press, by the signing into law of the Act of June 19, 1948, authorizing the establishment of Fort Vancouver National Monument, Washington. [96]

This resolution apparently had no immediate effect beyond stimulating further attempts to identify the exact site of Fort Clatsop, but from that time the idea of establishing a national monument at the property seems never to have been entirely lost sight of by the local historical society and its cooperating organizations. Periodically thereafter they became concerned about the "frightful condition" of the site, and among proposals for special local taxes or a State park, the national monument idea continued to be mentioned as a possible solution. Although a certain amount of this concern was due to fears that the run-down condition of the site and the resulting "bad publicity" would reduce the tourist trade, it is apparent from local press comment that there existed a genuine desire to rescue from neglect "one of the most important historical sites in the northwest." [97]

The national monument movement really began to gather momentum in 1953 after the newly organized Astoria Junior Chamber of Commerce became interested in the upkeep of the site. In October of that year representatives of the Junior Chamber, the Clatsop County Historical Society, the Oregon Historical Society, and other interested groups met in Astoria and formulated a definite, four-point program to achieve national monument status for Fort Clatsop. [98] One result of this renewed interest was the writing of letters, dated October 27, 1953, by Dr. Frank B. Queen of the University of Oregon Medical School to Secretary of the Interior McKay and to Congressman Walter Norblad formally urging that Fort Clatsop be designated a national monument or national historic site. Dr. Queen represented the property as being "virtually uncared for" and "barren of any items of [visible] interest." He believed that national recognition would assist in remedying these conditions and would also result in the site being placed on tourist maps. [99] Mr. Lancaster Pollard, Superintendent of the Oregon Historical Society, was also active in enlisting support for the project.

During the next year, local attention was largely directed at plans for developing the site and reconstructing Fort Clatsop in connection with the Lewis and Clark Sesquicentennial observance, but the national monument proposal was not dropped. For instance, at a meeting held in Astoria early in October, 1954, to work out details of the restoration, the subject of the proposed national monument was raised. Dr. Burt Brown Barker, President of the Oregon Historical Society, told the audience not to be "too ready to turn over your historical sites" to the Federal Government. "Keep control of what is rightfully yours," he urged, "and Fort Clatsop of Lewis and Clark fame belongs to you." [100]

Despite this advice, however, the feeling of the Oregon Historical Society members in general was that the site should not continue to be administered at the state or local level and that administration by the Federal Government would provide the financial resources needed to maintain and develop the area as they believed it deserved. Local civic groups at Astoria endorsed this view, and the Lewis and Clark Sesquicentennial appeared to offer an opportunity to enlist broader support for it. Through various interested individuals, the proposal was brought to the attention of Senator Wayne Morse, Senator Richard L. Neuberger, and other Congressional representatives.

Having a strong personal interest in the Lewis and Clark Expedition and in historical matters, Senator Neuberger was particularly receptive to the national monument idea. In cooperation with Senator Morse, and Senator Dworshak of Idaho, he introduced on July 12, 1955, Senate Bill 2498, "to provide that the Secretary of the Interior shall investigate and report to the Congress as to the advisability of establishing Fort Clatsop, Oregon, as a national monument." During November, the Board of Directors of the Oregon Historical Society passed a resolution favoring this proposal. The bill was passed by both houses of Congress and was approved by the President on June 18, 1956.

Subsequent to the passage of this act (Public Law 590), the proposal to give national monument or national historic site status to the site has received endorsement by several interested organizations and individuals. For instance, a communication favoring such action was sent to the Secretary of the Interior on August 6, 1956, by the Chairman of the National Parks Committee, The Garden Clubs of America. Expressions favoring the proposal have also been issued by the Port land Garden Club and by Senator Harry F. Byrd, of Virginia.

Editorial comment in the Oregon press has been generally in favor of national monument status, but there has also been an expression of regret that the lack of local financial resources makes it impracticable "to keep control of this valuable asset in local hands." [101] The Portland Oregonian of June 21, 1956, stated the prevailing attitude quite clearly. "There can be little doubt" that Fort Clatsop would qualify for national recognition, said one editorial; "it is the most meaningful monument of an expedition unsurpassed in the nation's history." "There is a source of shame, however, in the fact that Oregon itself has never fully met its responsibility with regard to Fort Clatsop," it continued and warned that the Secretary of the Interior might well raise the question, why should the Federal Government recognize a feature which Oregon has not even "elevated to the status of a state park?"

I. Persons consulted during the field study

The investigation upon which this report is based was conducted at the Oregon Historical Society, Portland, during the periods December 3-8, 13-14, 1956; at the Fort Clatsop Site, the Clatsop County Historical Society, and the Clatsop County Courthouse, Astoria, during the period December 8-11, 1956; and at the Bureau of Land Management, Portland, Oregon on December 12, 1956. Additional library research was performed at the Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Persons consulted during the study include the following:

Mr. Thomas Vaughan, Director, Oregon Historical Society
Mr. Kenneth Duckett, Librarian, Oregon Historical Society
Mr. Otto A. Owen, President, Clatsop County Historical Society
Mr. Burnby Bell, Corres. Secretary, Clatsop County Historical Society
Mr. Walter G. Johnson, member, Clatsop County Historical Society
Mr. Arthur F. Danielson, Surveyor, Clatsop County, Oregon
Mr. Emil Berg, Assessor, Clatsop County, Oregon
The Hon. Guy Boyington, County Judge, Clatsop County, Oregon
Mrs. Constance Bernier, Assistant in County Clerk's Office, Clatsop County, Oregon
Mrs. Dorothy C. Peterson, Land Law Clerk, Land Office, Bureau of Land Management, Portland, Oregon
Mr. Otis O. Gould, Office of Cadastral Engineer, land Office, Bureau of Land Management, Portland, Oregon.