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Washington, DC-- In response to news this morning of a fire at the Fort Clatsop National Memorial, Congressman David Wu has authored a letter to Interior Secretary Gale Norton requesting the release of National Park Service emergency funds. The emergency funds, set aside for such purposes, would be used to rebuild the Fort Clatsop replica that is a focal point of the Lewis and Clark National and State Historical Parks and of the bicentennial events to begin in just 40 days.
"The historical and national significance of Fort Clatsop requires that the replica be rebuilt before bicentennial events begin in November," stated Congressman Wu. "The Fort Clatsop replica is the educational focal point of the Lewis and Clark National and State Historical Parks. The Fort ignites the imagination of thousands of children, and adults alike, who visit the park each year and the estimated one million to visit the fort during the bicentennial years."
Congressman Wu has been a champion in the establishment of the Lewis and Clark National and State Historical Parks. During the summer of 2002, the president signed Congressman Wu's Fort Clatsop National Memorial Expansion Act that authorized expanding the memorial from 130 to 1,500 acres.
In July 2004, Congressman Wu announced the passage of federal legislation to rename several state parks and the Fort Clatsop National Memorial as the Lewis and Clark National and State Historical Parks. Since that time, Congressman Wu has worked, and was recently successful, in obtaining funds for the National Park Service to acquire the remaining lands in Oregon necessary for completion of the national park. With this year's funding the National Park Service will be ready to acquire the final property (Station Camp) in Washington State next year.
The Lewis and Clark National and State Historical Parks will host one of 15 nationally sanctioned events taking place along the Lewis and Clark trail. The celebration, scheduled for November 11th-15th 2005, is a bi-state collaboration between Washington and Oregon and will include an event to officially dedicate Oregon's second national park.
Fort Clatsop National Memorial, located near Astoria, marks the spot where Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery spent 106 days during the winter of 1805 - 1806. It is the only unit of the National Park System solely dedicated to the Lewis and Clark expedition.
Below is the full text of Congressman Wu's letter to Interior Secretary Norton:
October 4, 2005
The Honorable Gale Norton
Secretary of the Interior
1849 C Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20240
Dear Secretary Norton:
Last night the Lewis and Clark National and State Historical Parks in my congressional district suffered a major loss. Fort Clatsop was completely destroyed by a fire. This loss has occurred only 40 days before the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Signature Event is to be held with Fort Clatsop as a focal point of the celebration.
The imminence of the Bicentennial Signature event and the historical and national significance of Fort Clatsop, requires immediate release of emergency funds (held in reserve by the National Parks Service for such purposes) to rebuild the fort before the event begins. Fort Clatsop is the focal point of the educational experience in the newly established Lewis and Clark National and State Historical Parks.
Fort Clatsop National Memorial, located near Astoria, Oregon, marks the spot where Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery spent 106 days during the winter of 1805 - 1806. The memorial was established by an act of Congress in 1958, and it is the only unit of the National Park System solely dedicated to the Lewis and Clark expedition. Fort Clatsop is host to one of the nation's five signature Lewis and Clark Bicentennial events. During these Bicentennial years, the National Park Service estimates that well over one million people will visit Fort Clatsop.
The replica that was destroyed last night was constructed in 1955 on the site of the original fort to commemorate the sesquicentennial of the Corps of Discovery's expedition. It was constructed using the floor plan dimensions drawn by Clark on the elk hide cover of his field book. This historically accurate replica lets visitors experience the harsh conditions that Lewis and Clark had to endure on their journey.
I ask for your prompt assistance in providing National Park Service emergency funding, held in reserve for such purposes, to rebuild this lost treasure. In light of the upcoming events to celebrate the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial it will be necessary to rebuild quickly.
Thank you for your consideration. If I can be of any additional assistance, please call me at 202-225-0855.
With warm regards,
David Wu
Member of Congress
CC: Fran P. Mainella, National Park Service Director
Chip Jenkins, Superintendent of Fort Clatsop National Memorial
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