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

 A convenient situation to make salt

After a break of seven months, Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, Fort Clatsop has announced a virtual “In Their Footsteps” guest speaker series event.

Tom Wilson will present “a convenient situation to make salt” on https://www.facebook.com/LewisandClarkNationalHistoricalPark Sunday, October 18, at 1:00 p.m.

One of the reasons the Corps of Discovery wintered near the Pacific Ocean was that it was running out of salt for preserving and flavoring meat. The expedition’s captains were hoping for “a convenient Situation to the Sea Coast where we Could make Salt,” according to William Clark’s November 24, 1805 journal entry. In January 1806, after the Corps settled into its Fort Clatsop winter camp, a detachment traveled to the future site of Seaside, Oregon to set up a salt-making camp next to the ocean. The actual location of the expedition’s Salt Works can still be visited on Lewis and Clark Way between Beach Drive and the Prom in Seaside.

Tom Wilson taught elementary school in Astoria for many years and helped his students understand local history. He also worked as a national park ranger at Lewis and Clark NHP where he enjoyed living history and sharing details about the Corps of Discovery with visitors. He has also been very active with the Oregon Chapter of the Lewis & Clark Trail Heritage Foundation which supports projects that advance public knowledge of the Corps of Discovery’s significance.

In Their Footsteps is a monthly Sunday forum sponsored by the Lewis & Clark National Park Association and the park. This is the first virtual version of this speaker series.

For more information, call the park at (503) 861-2471, check out http://www.nps.gov/lewi, or lewisandclarknps on Instagram, or Lewis and Clark National Historical Park on Facebook.