FORT CLATSOP N.M., OREG. - Nearly 200 years after Lewis and Clark's expedition from the Missouri to the Pacific, park officials at Fort Clatsop National Memorial are working to expand the park unit and broaden its story of the explorers.
Coinciding with the 2005 bicentennial of Lewis and Clark's arrival to the area, the Park Service is studying whether to add to the park unit three sites at which the explorers camped along the Washington side of the Columbia River: the Megler Safety Rest Area (Clark's Dismal Nitch), part of Fort Canby State Park, and Station Camp. One alternative is to add those sites to the park and rename it Lewis and Clark National and State Historical Park.
"The expansion could allow us to tell a broader story of Lewis and Clark," said site superintendent Chip Jenkins. "This place is about much more than what's inside the pickets of the fort."
Because of additions to the park since it was established in 1958, when it consisted just of a replica of Fort Clatsop, changing the site's name is a feasible option, said Jenkins. "We now have several different elements telling the story of Lewis and Clark at the Pacific, and a name change could help us meet visitor expectations."
Meeting the expectations of visitors will become more and more important to the site as visitation climbs during bicentennial events. Visitation has risen by 13 percent since 2001 and should surge through 2005, said Jenkins.
At press time, the Park Service was finishing its study. The Secretary of Interior will send the preferred alternative to Congress for approval. Park advocates are optimistic that it will be approved, in light of support from area legislators and the business community.
"It is important for us to have national recognition for the Lewis and Clark sites on the Washington side of the river," said Rep. Brian Baird (D-Wash.), who with Rep. David Wu (D-Oreg.) sponsored legislation to study the sites.
Park staff also hope to complete a 1,500-acre expansion on the Oregon side of the site by 2005. That expansion, authorized by President Bush in 2002, will include a five-mile, fort-to-sea trail and an off-site shuttle bus and parking system that will be shared with Clatsop County, "a community that has been looking to emphasize its historical and cultural importance," said Heather Weiner, NPCA's Northwest regional director.
"It's part of why people around the park are so excited about the expansion."
The Bush administration recently provided money for the Oregon land acquisition, and Oregon Sens. Ron Wyden (D) and Gordon Smith (R) included $1.25 million in the Senate's Interior spending bill. Still, the park will need more money to expand in time for bicentennial events.
The expansion would require formal cooperation among Washington and Oregon state parks and the federal government, which is fitting when viewed in the larger context of Lewis and Clark's journey, said Weiner.
"Their story is not only a critical part of national history, but also the foundation of the states' history."
The draft expansion study and bicentennial information can be found on the park's web site at www.nps.gov/focl.
"It is a difficult situation," agreed Taylor. "But I still don't think it's too late - I think there's time to find a compromise to preserve those scenic, cultural, and sacred qualities."
