The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

Lewis and Clark National Historical Park will offer special programs about the Corps of Discovery’s winter at Fort Clatsop on the days following Christmas.

Starting December 26, Fort Clatsop will feature scheduled living history programs by park rangers each day through January 1. Costumed rangers will present daily flintlock muzzle-loading programs at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. Hands-on programs about various aspects of the explorers’ winter at Fort Clatsop will be available at the fort at 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. starting December 27 and 2 – 3 p.m. December 26-31. Ranger-guided walks on the Netul River Trail will be offered at 2 p.m. December 27 through December 31. Tallow rendering and candle-making are scheduled for December 27 and January 1.

There are also movies in the visitor center. “A Clatsop Winter Story,” a 22-minute movie about the 1805-06 winter from a Clatsop Indian perspective, and “Lewis and Clark: Confluence of Time and Courage,” a 34-minute movie about the entire voyage, will be offered each hour.

The park is closed on Christmas Day, Dec.25.

A unit of the National Park Service, Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, Fort Clatsop is located southwest of Astoria, Oregon, three miles southeast of U.S. Highway 101. The park, including the Fort to Sea Trail, the visitor center, fort, Netul River Trail, and the parking lots, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Lewis and Clark NHP also includes the Salt Works site near the Promenade in Seaside and the Middle Village/Station Camp site just east of Fort Columbia in Washington. Come and visit these sites during the time of year the expedition stayed on the coast. Admission to the Fort Clatsop unit of the park is $5 per adult and includes Netul Landing and the Fort to Sea Trail. Dogs that are leashed to their humans are welcome on the walks and at the outdoors programs. There is no admission fee for the Salt Works or Middle Village/Station Camp. Passes to National Park Service sites are accepted for free admission. For further information, call the park at 503-861-2471 or visit the park’s web site at http://www.nps.gov/lewi or find the park on Facebook at LewisandClarkNationalHistoricalPark.