Most Historic Beach Fire Ever on N. Oregon Coast: Reenacting Lewis 'n Clark in Seaside

Published 9/05/24 at 5:45 a.m.
By Andre' GW Hagestedt, Oregon Coast Beach Connection

(Seaside, Oregon) – A little over two hundred years ago, a lot of historic firsts took place in and around what would later become Seaside and Astoria. It was that winter of 1805 / 06 that Lewis and Clark and their Corps of Discovery started bebopping around the area, making camp near Warrenton.

They arrived in the area realizing they needed more salt, which was required for things like preserving meat as well as adding flavor to their meals. They were out of the stuff they brought with them from St. Louis. And now that they were stationed on Oregon's tempestuous coast for the winter, they needed to make preparations for their return trip.

“So, the members of the Corps of Northwestern Discovery – as Captain Meriwether Lewis called the party in his journal – did the only thing they could: Make their own salt,” said the Seaside History Museum.

On December 26, a special detachment was sent from Fort Clatsop southward to the sea. Five days of searching brought them to a little spot in present-day Seaside, arriving on January 1 of 1806.

“They proceeded to make salt by boiling sea water for nearly two months, all while enduring the wet winter weather, before they returned to Fort Clatsop,” the museum said.

Now, on September 7 and 8 – as every year about this time – the Seaside History Museum and Historical Society, assisted by a grant from the City of Seaside Tourism Advisory Committee puts together the Lewis and Clark Salt Makers event. On the beach, members of the Pacific Northwest Living Historians (PNLH) will create and share the experience of that exploration group, bringing to life the salt camp which those explorers established more than two centuries ago.

This one only goes for two days. Back then, it was much longer.

“They proceeded to make salt by boiling sea water for nearly two months, all while enduring the wet winter weather, before they returned to Fort Clatsop,” the museum said.

The program is held that Saturday from 9 am – 6 pm, and Sunday from 9 am – 3 pm. The event site will be on the Seaside beach west of the Avenue U and Prom intersection.

Those visiting will step back in time, entering the camp and finding members of the PNLH busy making salt, as they boil sea water over a fire just as the men of the Lewis and Clark expedition did in 1806. The interpreters will also share the history and stories of the legendary expedition with everyone who comes to this famed north Oregon coast beach.

Lewis and Clark Salt Makers is free – an interactive learning opportunity for the entire family. Call the Seaside Museum at (503)-738-7065.

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Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees over 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

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