Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, Fort Clatsop will offer special programs on the days following Christmas about the Corps of Discovery’s winter at Fort Clatsop:

Fort Clatsop is closed on Christmas Day, December 25.

Living History programs begin at Fort Clatsop December 26 and 27 and continue December 31 through January 2 featuring scheduled living history programs by park rangers in costume. These will include flintlock muzzle-loading programs at 10:30, 1:30, and 3:30; talks about various aspects of the explorers’ winter at Fort Clatsop at 11:30 and 2:30, and skill demonstrations such as quill pen writing at 12:30. Ranger-guided walks on the Netul River Trail will be offered these five days at 11:00.

On New Year’s Eve at 8:30 p.m. there will be a full moon ranger-led walk and mini-retreat starting at the visitor center. Bring a flashlight and journal and dress for the weather to participate in this special event.

In addition to the programs being offered at the fort, there are movies in the visitor center. “A Clatsop Winter Story,” a 22-minute movie about the 1805-06 winter from a Clatsop Indian perspective, will be offered on each hour and “Lewis and Clark: Confluence of Time and Courage,” a 34-minute movie about the entire voyage, will be offered at 24 minutes after each hour.

Beginning Monday, December 28, and continuing through Wednesday, December 30, the Fort Clatsop replica will come alive from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition during the park’s 9th annual presentation of “Wintering Over: snugly fixed in their huts.”

During this three day Wintering Over event, visitors are encouraged to converse with expedition members, portrayed by first-person character interpreters, as they settle into their winter headquarters in December 1805. Explore what it was like for these Corps members as they begin their winter stay, make clothes and start the daily routine of life at the fort. Discover who the people were, where they came from and what the journey has been like so far. Come explore the people behind the story!

Through an orientation, visitors will be introduced to the Corps of Discovery and prepared to participate in the “Wintering Over” program. First-Person living history interpretation is an experiential program with no script. This allows for a real experience (not a staged event) and for visitors to direct their own discoveries. The Pacific Northwest Living Historians have partnered with the park to provide this program.

A unit of the National Park Service, Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, Fort Clatsop is located southwest of Astoria, Oregon, three miles southeast of U.S. Highway 101. The park, including the Fort to Sea Trail, the visitor center, fort, Netul River Trail, and the parking lots, is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Lewis and Clark NHP also maintains the Salt Works site near the Promenade in Seaside, OR. Come and visit these sites during the time of year the expedition stayed on the coast. Admission to the Fort Clatsop unit of the park is $3 per adult; there is no admission fee for Netul Landing, the Fort to Sea Trail, or the Salt Works. For further information, call the park at 503-861-2471 ext. 214 or visit the park’s web site at www.nps.gov/lewi .