Thursday, we visited Fort Clatsop National Memorial, near Astoria, Oregon. The Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery spent three months in this fort preparing for their return journey, during the winter of 1805/06. During their three-month stay, it rained all but twelve days. The clothing rotted. Clark spent a lot of time making the maps of the journey west. Kathy and I took a short walk to the reconstructed fort. Lewis and Clark forts are small, maybe 200 feet by 200 feet, large enough for about six rooms, total, on either side of an open area in the middle. The walls are 10 feet high. Three rooms on the left side of the open area were for the men. The rooms on the right are for officers, Lewis and Clark, and another room for Sacagawea, her less useful husband, Toussaint Charbonneau, and their baby son, Jean Baptiste, and York, Clark's slave. According to what I have read, York participated as a full member of the group, doing regular work of hunting and exploring and voting on the location of winter quarters. However, unlike other members of the group, he was never paid for his services, though he may have won his freedom.
Sacagawea's official job is listed as a guide. However, she was more useful as a translator of the Shoshoni language. And, I have read that being a woman signified the Corps' peaceful intent to the Indians met along the way. Indian war parties didn't carry women.
After the journey, Sacagawea's son received a white man's education. When he was 18, he lived in Kansas City; a German prince befriended him and took him to Germany for awhile. Jean Baptiste eventually returned and lived a restless, but respectable, life out West. He died of pneumonia on his way to the Montana gold rush and is buried in Danner, Oregon, an unincorporated community in Malheur County.
As we worked our way down the Oregon coast, we stopped at Cannon Beach. We walked out on the beach to view Haystack Rock. This 235-foot tall rock rising from the ocean is very distinctive. The rock and surrounding area has also been granted Marine Garden status by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife in 1990. Collecting plants or animals is strictly prohibited. Climbing above the mean high tide level (barnacle line) disturbs nesting birds and is not allowed.
The rain storm that had been threatening moved in while we were on the beach, so we returned to the camper in a rather bedraggled state. The temperature also was falling. Ben tells us that is has been "hot" back home, but it's been hard to imagine that on this vacation. Most days have been very pleasant, Kathy's even work jeans a few times rather than shorts. Nights have been mostly in the 50-60s degree range, so it will be odd to return to a Kansas summer.
We found another nice state park campground at Nehalem Bay State Park. The park is right on the beach, although separated by some sand dunes. We hiked through to the ocean in the waning daylight and in the sprinkling rain.
Thursday, September 5, 2013
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