#1. # 4.  FORT CLATSOP REPLICA & SALT CAIRN	home     back to The Oregon Territory                 LEWIS & CLARK & -- from the Coquille Bulletin, Jan 22,1904                                           _________                             TWO HISTORIC SPOTS.                                                ____                               From the Portland Telegram.      Oregon abounds in historic spots whose existence is inseparably linked with her rise and progress.   Scattered throughout the state, like mute sentinels in the march of progress, their sealed lips embalm the deeds of a heroic past.  heir preservation, as a heritage for future generations is a work which appeals with emphasis, to all public spirited cltizens; and their adornment with appropriate monuments is a duty incumbent on the state.      Two such spots, isolated and long neglected and whose history antedates the birth of the state, should at once engage the public mind, notably the old salt cairn by the sea, near Seaside, and the site Fort Clatsop, a few miles southwest of Astoria.      A reproduction of this fort, with slight modifications, will constitute the Oregon State building at the St. Louis Exposition.  Its unique design and suggestive character will, unquestionably, prove an attractive feature.      In their primitive dwellings, in a wild land, within sound of the great ocean which had been the goal of their ambition and the object of their desires, the dauntless explorers passed the winter from the 7th of December, 1805, until the 23rd of March, 1906.      Some sickness prevailed, and not a little distress was occasioned by the inclemency of the weather, The Indians were friendly and hospitable and exhibited a keen desire for trade.      Fish, game, and fowl were abundant. The tedium of the long winter was whiled away in hunting, fishing, trading with the Indians, correcting notes, repairing old garments and making new ones for the return journey.      Although the supply of fresh meat was ample, salt one of the necessaries, soon became an unknown quantity.  To supply the deficiency, a rude furnace of boulders was built near the beach, and old ocean out of his abundance satisfied their wants.  At high tide a small canoe was swamped and filled with sea-water.  When the tide receded the water was carried to the furnace upon the top of which five large kettles were placed.  Fire was applied and the seawater evaporating about four bushels of fine, white salt, made a quantity sufficient to satisfy their present needs and to supply them on their return journey to a point on the Missouri river, where an additional quantity of salt had been cached  [sentence, sic]. [M.  microfilm printout looks complete so apparently column 3 opens with a misprint.  Something left out?] withstood storms of a hundred winters and the heavy impress of Time's defacing fingers.  From the cairn a rocky ridge hides the ocean from view, while a dense thicket of scrubby pine screens the spot from prying eyes.  One little pine, seemingly more tender-hearted than its associates, bends low over the cairn, its slender branches drooping downward, enfold the old relic in a living embrace.      The work of locating and preserving from obliteration noted historic spots throughout the state has, very happily, been undertaken by the Oregon Historical Society.  Al-[illegible] sufficient funds, yet the work is being prosecuted with commendable zeal and patriotic pride.      Three years ago the society purchased from the Shane estate a three-acre tract, embracing the site of old Fort Clatsop; and about the same time, with the consent of the Holladay [sic] heirs, upon whose land the relic is located, it enclosed the salt cairn with a suitable picket fence. The site of the fort being somewhat isolated is less visited than the cairn, which being nearer the noted seaside resorts receives abundant homage from pilgrims who journey to this shrine of a historic past.      In the world’s history the expedition of Lewis and Clark will rank among the greatest achievements of men.  Its subsequent effects upon shaping governmental policy, establishing national prestige and territorial expansion, have been lasting and far-reaching.      It is eminently fitting, therefore, that the centennial year of the expedition should be celebrated by an exposition to the world of the marvelous growth, boundless resources and future possibilities of the region traversed by hardy explorers.      An appropriate feature of the Exhibition will be a permanent memorial building.  In this connection, it is expedient to urge those having in charge the conduct and control of the Exposition to provide appropriate monuments for the site of Fort Clatsop and the salt cairn by the sea.  The time is certainly opportune for such action. These two spots are so intimately associated with the first expedition, the rise of the state, and the exposition to be, that their future right is certainly a reflection on the core pride of the people.   +
	home     back to The Oregon Territory