Travel the Lewis and Clark Trail

National Historic Site - Salt Works at Seaside, Oregon

For 50 days in January and February of 1806, several men from the Lewis and Clark expedition set up a salt-making camp in a primitive seaside setting. The camp was about 15 miles southwest of the Corps of Discovery's winter camp, Fort Clatsop. Supplies of salt, crucial for the the curing of meat, had run low, and the men were charged with the task of producing enough salt to see the expedition through the winter and the journey home. Estimates based on historical records indicate the men made roughly 3 1/2 bushels of salt during their stay (it is not known how much seawater they had to boil to glean a pound of salt).

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Reenactors portray the expedition's early salt-making camp on the Oregon Coast the third week-end in August

Visitors to the salt camp in 1806 were likely to be friendly members of the Clatsop and Tillamook tribes, who didn't make salt and were no doubt curious about the men and their venture.

Coastal Area Map with Historical Sites & Attractions 209 KB PDF

Lewis and Clark Trail maps on this web site were provided courtesy of the National Park Service
GPO 1991-557-779

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