Fort Clatsop Administrative History

Off Site Programs

Ranger Brian Huntoon presenting Ranger on the Road program at a Corvallis, Oregon school, 3 April 1981 .
(FOCL photo collection)

Since Fort Clatsop began visitor services in 1963, the small memorial staff has been able to present a variety of off-site programs and lectures around the local community. These include campfire programs such as the one at Fort Stevens State Park, the first organized off-site program. Memorial staff also provided off-site programs at the area schools, service clubs, and local organizations. Topics have not only centered around the story of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, but also other topics of American history, the history of the memorial, the Park Service in general, and various environmental programs. Memorial staff have presented programs at the Astoria Children's Fair, the Clatsop County Fair, and the Lewis and Clark Historical Pageant, among other local events.

The most successful and organized off-site educational program for the memorial has been the "Ranger on the Road" program. This program was begun in 1974 in coordination with area schools and county Education Service District (ESD) offices. The program lasted from six to fifteen weeks, depending on funding, and reached schools around the northwestern corner of Oregon and the southwestern corner of Washington. The program was designed to reach those schools that could not afford field trips to the memorial and was aimed at fourth and fifth grade levels. During the 1981 and 1982 seasons, funding restrictions began to impact the program. In order to keep the program, the county ESD offices were able to cover the costs of lodging and meals for the ranger while the memorial paid the salaries and transportation costs. FCHA assisted by covering the cost of lodging and meals and was then reimbursed by the districts. The program reached its peak in the 1979-80 seasons, lasting fifteen weeks and reaching nearly twenty thousand children. [14]

Despite its popularity and a willingness of the school districts to help fund these programs, the program was curtailed in 1983 due to memorial budget cuts. Only limited local programs could be offered as budgets, time, and available personnel allowed. In 1987, through the help of a new fee enhancement program and significant donations from FCHA, the "Ranger on the Road" program was started again. Fee enhancement funds covered transportation costs for the program and donations from FCHA, totaling $3,000 a year, covered lodging and meals. The program continued through this method of funding through 1990. Six week spring programs were held in 1987 and 1988, and a pre-site teachers packet was developed. The program reached eight weeks in 1989 for a total of 126 presentations. The program was shifted to the fall in 1990 for a six week program, October 22 - December 14, for a total of 95 presentations. The programs were again extremely successful, reaching between 3,000 and 6,000 children. Under the increased visitation levels at the memorial and the beginning of the visitor expansion project, the memorial needed the rangers at the park rather than on the road. Staffing pressures combined with budget restraints have again limited the program's reach. During 1993, the program ran from March 15 - April 19 and reached 2676 students.

Godfrey, playing Seaman, and ranger Bob Zimmerling.
(FOCL photo collection)

Due to staffing and budget restraints, emphasis has been shifted to the creation of a travelling trunk program, which are sent to schools in the region usually reached by the ranger program. The trunks, supported by FCHA, have been extremely successful and the program was aided in 1993 by a "Parks As Classrooms" grant from the National Park Foundation. The first trunk, created in 1993, was based on the Lewis and Clark Expedition/Fort Clatsop theme. It was so successful that two identical trunks were made in 1994. The staff plans on making two or three additional trunks on other historical themes, such as a Lower Columbia American Indian trunk, to expand this program.

The interpretive staff is currently working on a formal five-year educational plan that would restructure and direct the memorial's educational services. The plan will address on-site visitation options, traveling trunks, off-site programming, a new pre-visit guide, and teacher workshops, among other things. The interpretive program will also seek additional program funding and special educational grants.