Fort Clatsop Administrative History

The memorial has historically maintained good relationships with several public groups and other local, state, and federal government agencies. Fort Clatsop maintains a visible presence in the community through staff involvement with various community and service organizations. Memorial staff have also served on local and state government committees. Through relations with other Pacific Northwest historic sites, the memorial has maintained a resource base for its outreach programs.

Fort Clatsop has had many contacts with various city, county, state, and federal agencies. Planning efforts have also put the memorial in touch with other NPS units, universities, historical agencies, and research groups. In recent years and in conjunction with planning for a new General Management Plan, the memorial has begun to take an active role in the local community and state in various planning efforts. The following is an overview of the significant relations the memorial has had with other groups or agencies.

Lewis And Clark Historical Groups

The memorial has maintained good relations with the Oregon, Washington, and national Lewis and Clark organizations. The primary group affecting the memorial has been the Oregon Governor's Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation. A governor-appointed board, memorial superintendents have served on it and attend regular meetings. The committee concerns itself with Oregon Lewis and Clark historic sites and Oregon portions of the historic trail, considering the preservation and maintenance of these sites. The memorial also coordinates with the national Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, attending annual meetings and utilizing the organization as a support base. Other groups include the Washington State Lewis and Clark Trail Committee and the Lewis and Clark Historical Pageant. [1]

The memorial has participated in annual symposiums with these groups, and regularly hosts symposiums at the site. These groups provide a significant resource for historical research and support for the park's interpretation program. The state's most well-known Lewis and Clark enthusiasts have played a strong role in the memorial's history, especially the late Dr. Eldon G. Chuinard, Irving Anderson, and the late Robert Lange. Coordination for research on the Lewis and Clark Historic Trail in Oregon has been an important issue between these groups and the memorial, which is an essential piece in the trail. The memorial receives strong support from these organizations which are an important public tie.

Federal And State Agencies

Oregon and Washington State Park Systems. Fort Stevens State Park has been a consistent partner for Fort Clatsop in promotion of Clatsop County historic sites. The memorial has participated in regular campfire programs at Fort Stevens and many of Fort Stevens' visitors and campers make the trip to Fort Clatsop. [2] Across the Columbia River in Washington, there are many significant Lewis and Clark sites. In 1973, Fort Canby State Park, Washington, developed a Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center. Memorial staff coordinated with the Washington State Park System and provided assistance in the development of the park's interpretive exhibits at Fort Canby and Fort Columbia. Both Fort Stevens and Fort Canby were consulted by the planning team for the new general management plan. [3]

State of Oregon. Aside from maintaining relations with the Oregon State Parks and Recreation Department, other state agencies have provided aid to the memorial over the years. The memorial maintains relations with the State Historic Preservation Office for compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act. The Oregon State Police donates game carcasses (roadkills) for the memorial's interpretive programs, providing materials that otherwise would need to be purchased. The memorial has also participated in Oregon state youth employment programs. The memorial holds agreements with the Oregon State Police for law enforcement purposes and coordinates with the department, especially regarding county poaching issues. [4] The memorial also coordinates with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality on water quality issues for the Lewis and Clark River and other park water. The memorial has also received project support and assistance from the local Oregon National Guard base, Camp Rilea. Camp Rilea has also coordinated with the memorial on planning for the commemorative trail to the coast.

In 1973 the Oregon State Forestry Department donated 1,000 young trees for the memorial's reforestation program. The department donated fir, spruce, cedar, and hemlock trees between the ages of 2 and 5 years old. These trees came both from nursery stock and state lands. [5] The trees were a significant start for the memorial's reforestation. The memorial has also utilized the Oregon State Fish and Wildlife Department as a resource for natural resource planning issues.

Federal Agencies. The memorial deals with other local branches of federal agencies from time to time. The memorial has been in contact with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency over Lewis and Clark River dredging projects and wetlands issues. The U.S. Coast Guard base in Warrenton has served as a resource base for memorial staff. The local Coast Guard station has assisted the memorial with river transportation, helicopter surveillance, moving assistance during the visitor center expansion, and many other projects. [6] The possibility exists for future cooperation through the leasing of Coast Guard housing for memorial staff.

The memorial also occasionally provides interpretive programs for federal agencies as a part of its outreach programs. The interpretive staff has presented programs during the summer months for the U.S. Forest Service at the Multnomah Falls Nature Center, located in the Columbia Gorge, Oregon. [7]

Other National Park units. During its establishment, the memorial received assistance from many other historic areas in the park system in the form of technical advice and planning for visitor services, replica construction, and exhibits. Morristown National Historical Park, Independence Hall National Historical Park, and Pipestone National Monument provided assistance in planning and locating exhibit items. Through these contacts, the memorial also received assistance from Colonial Williamsburg and Old Sturbridge Village. [8] The memorial has utilized the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in St. Louis as a resource base for Lewis and Clark programs and memorial staff presented Fort Clatsop interpretive programs there in the late 1970s.

Fort Vancouver National Historic Site and Fort Clatsop have shared management needs over the years. The superintendents of both units have served as acting superintendent of the other and for the first few years of Fort Clatsop, they shared the same cooperating association. During the memorial's reforestation program and alder removal, surplus wood was taken to Fort Vancouver for use in the bakery and blacksmith's forge. Mt. Rainier and Olympic national parks have also provided assistance to the memorial. Both parks have donated blown down cedar trees for use in the canoe carving programs and as materials for repairs to the fort replica. During the visitor center expansion, Olympic National Park, Oregon Caves National Monument, and Crater Lake National Park provided temporary trailers for administrative use. Technical support has also been provided by North Cascades, Mt. Rainier, Olympic, and Crater Lake National Parks. [9]

Public Relations And The Local Community

Fort Clatsop has maintained an active and visible role in the local community. Memorial staff has traditionally been a part of local organizations, such as the Rotary, Kiwanis, and Lions clubs. The memorial has also maintained strong ties with the Astoria, Warrenton, and Seaside Chambers of Commerce. The superintendents of the memorial have served on a variety of local committees for county and city governments, dealing with such issues as economics, soil conservation, the Columbia River Estuary Study Team (CREST), and tourism development. [10] In recent years, these contacts have allowed the memorial to keep abreast of and have an impact on local management processes that affect the memorial.

Crown Zellerbach and Cavenham Industries. The memorial's primary neighbors to the west have always been active members of the timber industry. Crown Zellerbach, owners of the neighboring timber lands during the site's creation, openly supported Fort Clatsop and donated logs and services of significant value for the replica project in 1955. When the memorial was first established, Crown Zellerbach owned property around the Fort Clatsop site and at the canoe landing. Through the suggestion of Senator Richard Neuberger, the corporation donated land to assist in the memorial's creation. Crown Zellerbach continued to be helpful to the memorial, donating trees to the reforestation project as needed and donating the wood base for the "Arrival" statue. In May, 1986, Crown Zellerbach assets were acquired by Cavenham Forest Industries. Cavenham continues to own much of the timber land to the west of the memorial as a division of Hansen Natural Resources Company, Great Britain. The memorial holds a collection permit for native shrubs and trees on Cavenham property. Crown Zellerbach and Cavenham also donated time, staff, and labor assisting the memorial in various projects over the years.

The memorial has continued to keep constructive relations with Cavenham Industries since the company acquired the Crown Zellerbach properties, most recently trying to come to an understanding regarding conflicting land use issues. With the fort's new general management plan's proposed actions, a proposed for boundary expansion and commemorative trail to the coast would pass directly through Cavenham property. In recent years, Cavenham has been approached to sell lands to developers and the City of Warrenton. With the memorial also seeking to acquire portions of Cavenham property, the company is feeling pressured to relieve these issues and has negotiated with the memorial to reach an agreement satisfactory to both parties. The memorial sees not only future clear-cutting on this property as a threat, but also potential development should Cavenham decide to sell to other interested parties. [11]

The Oregon and Clatsop County Historical Societies. Both of these organizations were responsible for the preservation and management of the Fort Clatsop site prior to its designation as a national memorial. The Oregon Historical Society was the primary coordinator for the legislative movement which achieved that recognition. Since the NPS took over the site, both societies have remained supporters of the memorial. The memorial continues to coordinate with these two societies in the preservation of local and state history, especially regarding the preservation of the historic trail.

Columbia River Maritime Museum. Located in Astoria, the maritime museum is another local historical group which coordinates with the memorial, a relationship that proves mutually beneficial. The memorial and the museum have provided technical assistance to each other. During the visitor center expansion project, the museum stored a large portion of the memorial's collection. The memorial has loaned collection materials to the museum for exhibit purposes. Through Fort Clatsop, the museum was also provided technical assistance by an NPS conservator during the visitor center expansion.

A significant coordination effort between the two came in 1991 with the bicentennial of Captain Robert Gray's exploration of the Columbia River. The NPS and State of Oregon Columbia River Bicentennial Commission, developed a cooperative agreement for the production of the exhibit "This Noble River: Captain Gray and the Columbia" housed at the maritime museum from May through November 1992. Superintendent Orlando served for the regional director on the coordinating group for the exhibit. The exhibit was co-sponsored by the NPS and received $250,000 in federal funding.

Seaside. Due to the satellite location of the Salt Works site management coordinates with various Seaside organizations to ensure that NPS standards for the site are met. Prior to the site's designation in 1979 as a part of the memorial, the Seaside Lions Club had maintained and policed the site for the Oregon Historical Society. Since 1979, Fort Clatsop has retained agreements with the Seaside Lions Club through 1990 for their maintenance efforts. Due to increased visitation at the site, the memorial currently maintains an agreement with the City of Seaside for maintenance and policing of the site. The Lions Club continues to monitor the 15-star flag flown at the site.

The Chinook Tribe. Headquartered in Chinook, Washington, the Chinook tribe is the primary American Indian contact for the memorial. The memorial has kept in contact with this community since 1989 for proper interpretation of the Clatsop/Chinook people and for support of memorial programs. The Chinook Tribal Council reviewed the memorial's new exhibit plans during the memorial expansion project and has also been consulted on items regarding future interpretation at the memorial and the new general management plan.

The Chinook tribe is not a federally recognized tribe although they do have some land interest on the Quinault Reservation on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. The Chinook Tribal Council represents the lower Chinook, Clatsop, Wahkiakum, Cathlamet, and Clatskanie people. It is a relatively young organization, consisting of about 1700 members as of 1990. They are currently working towards federal recognition.

Since the beginning of relations with the memorial in 1989, Mr. and Mrs. George Lagergren, members of the tribe, have come to the memorial to speak about traditional Chinook/Clatsop culture. Representatives of the tribe were a part of the dedication ceremonies for the new visitor center. During the temporary display of three baskets collected by the Expedition and on loan from the Peabody Museum at Harvard, the memorial hosted a special viewing of the baskets for the Chinook and all other regional tribes. The memorial is also in contact with the tribe regarding the future repatriation of burial items at Fort Vancouver N.H.S. The association between the memorial and the Chinook Tribal Council is mutually appreciated.

During the late 1970s until 1981, the memorial contacted Portland and Seattle area American Indian organizations, area colleges, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs trying to recruit an American Indian woman for the seasonal interpretive program. In planning for the bicentennial of the Expedition in 2003-2006, the memorial has created a listing of all tribal groups with connection to the Expedition in the Northwest and hopes to coordinate with all these groups in the bicentennial celebration planning efforts.

Youth Conservation Corps and Tongue Point Jobs Corps. Over the years, the memorial has utilized regional youth employment programs, which have provided staffing for a range of tasks, including administrative assistance. Without this assistance, a number of projects might not have been completed.

Between 1981 and 1991, the memorial employed 8 to 16 staff and enrollees from the YCC program. These teams worked at the memorial for a period of eight weeks. Programs completed by these crews included trail clearing, alder thinning, and building boundary fences. As a part of the YCC program, memorial staff required each enrollee to participate in the fort's interpretive program at the fort replica. This aspect of the program was extremely successful, resulting in some enrollees volunteering as interpreters on the weekends. [12] The memorial currently has a Memorandum of Agreement with the Tongue Point Job Corps Center. Through this agreement, the memorial has employed several youths for administrative and maintenance positions. Students at the Tongue Point Job Corps Center cut, sanded, and applied a resin coating to the 12" base for the "Arrival" statue. [13]