Community rallies to see fort rebuilt

ASTORIA, Ore. – Donations, condolences and offers to help rebuild Fort Clatsop have been pouring in since the historic landmark was gutted by fire Monday night.

Just hours after news of the fire first broke, people were coming up to park employees to hand them checks to help fund the fort’s reconstruction. Others sent messages to employees, such as: “I am a reasonable craftsman and can make almost anything I set my mind to in metal, wood or stone.”

Chip Jenkins, superintendent of Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, said the fort would be rebuilt, but he couldn’t say whether it would be completed before the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial commemoration slated for mid-November.

“We’re hearing an outpouring of support from the community,” Jenkins said, adding that Interior Secretary Gale Norton has directed the National Park Service to make all necessary resources available to the park.

The structure is a replica of where the Lewis and Clark expedition spent the soggy winter of 1805-1806 after reaching the Pacific. The fire destroyed the side of the fort containing the enlisted men’s quarters and gutted the other side where the captain’s quarters were located. Jenkins said it appears nothing of the 50-year-old structure is salvageable.

Investigators on Wednesday continued to seek the fire’s cause. The log fort was completely engulfed by the time crews responded.

The only suspicious clue so far is a report of a dark-colored pickup seen driving out of the park as the first fire crews arrived at about 10:45 p.m.

Two fireplaces in the fort were used Monday afternoon, not long after a countywide burn ban was lifted. Jenkins said the park has strict protocols for fires at the fort that limit their size and duration and require that they be thoroughly doused.

Three years ago, parts of the fort were scorched because of a fire in one of the fireplaces. Last year, all the fireplaces and chimneys were rebuilt to protect the surrounding wood structure.