After passing a wet and tedious winter near the Pacific Coast,
Lewis and Clark turned their canoes eastward to start the long
trip back to St. Louis, Missouri. .
The Corps of Discovery left behind their cramped, miserable,
yet vital, winter quarters,
The Corps of Discovery arrived at the Pacific the previous
November, having made a difficult crossing over the rugged
Rocky Mountains.
Their winter stay on the south side of the Columbia River—
dubbed Fort Clatsop in honor of the local Native American
tribe—had been plagued by rainy weather and a scarcity of
fresh meat.
No one in the Corps of Discovery regretted leaving Fort
Clatsop behind.
The replica of Fort Clatsop is Located along the Lewis and
Clark River at the north end of the Clatsop Plains about
5 miles southwest of Astoria,Oregon.
