In 1804 U.S. President Thomas Jefferson dispatched 28 year old Meriwether Lewis and 32 year old William Clark and their Corps of Discovery to find a water route connecting the interior of the country to the trade routes of the Pacific.
They reached the Columbia River on October 16, 1805 and viewed the Pacific Ocean on November 7. Their winter campsite named Fort Clatsop, was constructed on the bank of the Lewis & Clark River. Supplies were depleted by the time they reached the Columbia and several months would be needed to prepare for the return trip.
Desperately needing salt now to cure and preserve a meat supply and for their personal use, the expedition sent five of it's men to find a beach site for saltmaking. The camp was established some 15 miles south of Fort Clatsop near the mouth of the Necanicum, the present site of Seaside. After presenting Fort Clatsop and it's contents to the chief of the Clatsops, the expedition began it's return trip March 23, 1806.
A statue of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark commemorating the explorers' historic expedition sits at the turnaround of the popular Promenade which is the epicenter of Seaside.
Material courtesy of: clatsop.com, astoria-usa.com, and dailyastorian.info
