Lewis and Clark National Historical Park at Fort Clatsop in Astoria, Oregon announce Crossing Clatsop in the 1800s, the season's first speaker series event presented by historical researcher and writer Jerry Sutherland on September 16, 2018 at 1pm.

Sutherland first researched early Clatsop transportation routes while writing Calvin Tibbets: Oregon's First Pioneer (2016). In the 1840s, the route that eventually became US 101 bisected Tibbets' provisional land claim just north of the Clatsop Plains Presbyterian Church, which was first built on five acres he contributed to the church just before his death in 1849. Now, as then, Sutherland followed "in their footsteps" to get a sense of the challenges early Americans faced crossing Clatsop (Ridge and Plains).

After building Fort Clatsop on the west bank of the Lewis and Clark River in December 1805, William Clark and his salt-craving men blazed a trail across Clatsop to the ocean searching for a good place to boil sea water, a trip commemorated by the Fort to Sea Trail in 2005. In the process of determining the trail's original route and its relationship to modern Perkins Lane, Sutherland learned of involvements by Clatsop Indians as well as summer vacationers taking wagons to Seaside after arriving at Clatsop Landing on sternwheelers. He was fascinated that the Neacoxie River's 1806 outlet into the sea, filled in soon after that by sand and diverted to the Necanicum, had been pinpointed by geologists in 2004.

Sutherland will use images of maps and original manuscripts in his presentation, answer questions and sign copies of his book after the program.

Other upcoming In Their Footsteps 2018-2019 dates and programs include:

October 21
"Altho' no regular botanist", Jefferson's Reference to Lewis by Carol Lucas

November 18
John Colter, Servant of the Corps by Christopher Hodges

December 16
Let's Talk about Hummingbirds by Barbara Linnett

January 20
Historic Winter Transportation by Richard Brenne

In Their Footsteps is a speaker series forum sponsored by Lewis & Clark National Park Association and the park. The forum aims to connect the community by providing an opportunity to meet scholars, authors and artists.

Programs are free, open to the public and presented at 1pm in the Netul River Room at Fort Clatsop Visitor Center, Lewis and Clark National Historic Park, Astoria, Oregon.

For more information, call the park at (503) 861-2471, access Lewis and Clark NHP website or check out Lewis & Clark NHP on Facebook for event details.