The Lewis and Clark Expedition sighted the Pacific Ocean, or more specifically the Columbia River estuary, on November 7, 1805, and spent the next month exploring the area and searching for a suitable location to build a fort for the coming winter. It was a wretched month, one of the worst of the entire journey, as the constant rain soaked the men and their equipment. But despite the conditions, the men felt a growing sense of pride as they considered their incredible accomplishments since leaving St. Louis in May 1804. Captain Clark found a large pine tree near the coast and carved his mark for posterity, “William Clark December 3rd 1805. By land from the U.States in 1804 & 1805.”
Captain Lewis finally decided to set up camp on a small bluff overlooking today’s Lewis and Clark River, roughly three miles upstream from the Columbia. It was here that the Corps erected Fort Clatsop and spent their final winter away from home. Unfortunately, between the troublesome local Indians, miserable weather, and a monotonous diet, it would prove to be a most unpleasant three months. The Corps had long since left the lands of the Nez Perce who had befriended the Americans and entered those dominated by the Chinook, a people who seemed almost antagonistic to them. The men learned the hard way that this nation of Indians would steal anything they could if the soldiers were not looking. Naturally, this theft led to hard feelings and the men learned to mistrust and even detest the Indians of the lower Columbia, and no Indians were permitted to remain inside the fort overnight. Consequently, the Captains made little effort to engage with the Chinook, even though their assistance was critical to establishing a good trade network along the Pacific Coast.
The weather was also intolerable to the men of the Corps, largely comprised of Virginians and Kentuckians raised in the Appalachian Mountains. During their one hundred days at Fort Clatsop, it rained every day but eight and both equipment and clothing rotted, not surprising given that the Pacific Northwest is the largest temperate rainforest in the world. Food options were also not to their liking as big game animals were scarce except for elk near the mouth of the river. On the upper river, the diet had been berries, roots, and some dried salmon, while near the mouth of the Columbia it was elk, elk, and more elk: grilled, boiled, jerked and in soups. Unhappiness with the locals, food, and the environment contributed to a shortened stay at Fort Clatsop. While the Corps spent almost six months at their first two winter encampments, Camp Wood and Fort Mandan, they remained at Fort Clatsop for only a little over three months…