Lewis and Clark Expedition, Part 9: Wintering at Fort Clatsop

The New Nation
Written By Tom Hand

The Lewis and Clark Expedition reached the Pacific Ocean in November 1805 and built Fort Clatsop on a small bluff roughly three miles upstream from the Columbia. It was here they would spend their final winter away from home, reflecting on their journey thus far, and the hopes for finding a practical trade route from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean. Unfortunately, between the troublesome Chinook Indians, miserable weather, and a monotonous diet, it would prove to be a most unpleasant three months.

Tom Hand, creator and publisher of Americana Corner, explores the expedition’s winter at Fort Clatsop and why it still matters today.  

 

Images courtesy of Wikimedia, Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Walters Art Museum, Library of Congress, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Wikiart. 

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Tom Hand
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