Fort Clatsop Administrative History

Relocation Of Fort Clatsop Loop Road

View of entrance to fort replica from county road, 1958.
(FOCL photo collection)

In 1958, the county road passing the Fort Clatsop site, the Fort Clatsop Loop Road, cut through the ridge between the fort site and the Lewis and Clark River, past the canoe landing and mooring site. A small access road and parking area were located next to the fort replica. If the memorial was to re-create the historic scene of 1805-1806, the road would have to be moved. NPS Director Conrad Wirth agreed with this assessment when he viewed the site from the air in 1958. [8]

The Region Four planning team, in deciding the memorial's boundaries, did so with consideration of the road relocation. They chose to shift the county road north and west, about to the edge of the proposed northern and western boundaries. The existing road would then be demolished and the strip of land returned to its natural state. The Park Service would control the section of Fort Clatsop Loop Road passing through the memorial's boundaries. In purchasing land from Clatsop County, the Park Service required Clatsop County to quitclaim all rights to roads and trails on the property. The Park Service also requested a Memorandum of Understanding with the county for maintenance of the section of Fort Clatsop Loop Road to be built. The Clatsop County commissioners were at first reluctant to accept this arrangement and did not want to quitclaim the county's right-of-way. The Commissioners were concerned with their status in the maintenance agreements and the quality of the reconstructed road section.

Because a good portion of the lands surrounding the memorial were timber lands owned by timber corporations, the county road was used heavily by logging trucks. The county commissioners wanted assurances from the Park Service that the reconstructed road would be able to handle the weight of loaded logging trucks and not interfere with their use of the road. In addition, the county also was concerned about memorandum agreements with the Park Service (which would be revocable) and the source of funding for any future construction. On August 14, 1961, the Clatsop County Engineer approved the road design for the relocation. The Clatsop County Commissioners then agreed to the quitclaim arrangement, providing that the agreement contain the statement that the county would not be responsible for the costs of any future construction. [9] The quitclaim deed was recorded October 13, 1961. [10]

Following the agreement with Clatsop County, road relocation began. The construction contract was awarded to a local construction company, Grimstad and Vanderveldt, Inc. During the construction period, not only would the new section of road be completed, but all entrance and exit roads and parking areas as well. An entrance/exit road from Fort Clatsop Loop Road to the parking area and visitor center location was constructed, as well as an entrance road to the memorial's residence #1 (the house purchased from the Millers), a spur road to residence #3 (employee residence to be built by the Park Service), a spur road from Fort Clatsop Loop Road to the utility structure, and parking areas at both residences, the utility structure, and visitor center parking. The visitor center parking area provided for twenty-seven cars, with three additional bus and trailer spaces. The original parking plan provided for only fourteen cars. Superintendent Peterson recommended the increase and tried to increase the parking area further just prior to the completion of construction. In all, 7,407 feet of road and 2,366 square yards of parking were constructed and completed by July 1962.

Since the original construction of the memorial's roads, the parking area has been upgraded three times and spur roads behind the visitor center developed and paved. The memorial continues to hold a Memorandum of Understanding with Clatsop County for minor road maintenance.

The contract with Grimstad and Vanderveldt, Inc., was modified during road construction to include the razing of certain structures to make way for the construction of new memorial buildings. The Miller barn, corral, and shed which lay in the path of the new road, and the Kraft's shed and corral which was visible from the entrance road, were eliminated. The ruins of the canoe landing site dock, previously owned by the Crown Zellerbach Corporation, were also removed.