County - Clatsop

Seaside was incorporated in 1899 and named for Ben Holladay’s famous hostelry and resort, the Seaside House, Seaside has historically been one of the Oregon Coast’s most visited and most popular oceanfront resort. Located only 80 miles from Portland, the state’s largest metropolitan area, and surrounded by natural attractions, tourists and locals enjoy hiking in the coastal rain forest, bird watching, exploring tide pools, and looking for gray whales as they migrate along the coast each spring and winter. Surfing, kayaking, fishing, crabbing, bike riding and browsing the City’s numerous specialty stores and malls are favorite activities.Seaside’s gently sloping 250-foot wide beach is the most heavily used of any along the Oregon Coast. Running a mile and a half along the beach is the historic Promenade providing tourists and local residents a place to walk, jog, or bicycle while viewing the beach.

The Turnaround at the west end of Seaside's main street, Broadway, is the central focal point of Seaside. It has been a popular Oregon Coast attraction since its construction in 1920. A bronze statue (see photo on right) of explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark commemorated the 1804-6 Corps of Discovery, a 4,000 mile expedition that ended here in the Columbia Pacific Region.

Lewis and Clark
When Lewis and Clark arrived in 1805, they established their base camp in the form of a fort about 15 miles north of Seaside, not far from Youngs Bay. They found only about 250 Indians in the area, due to the dread disease Small Pox, which had been brought in by explorers and fur traders during earlier years. The Indians were the Clatsops, a peaceful tribe, occasionally meeting with the Chinooks on the north across the Columbia River, and the Tillamooks to the south. From their Fort Clatsop base, Lewis and Clark made expeditions south and west to hunt, as well as to survey and make reports about the vegetation, wild life, and natives. Their travels took them to an area near the base of Tillamook Head and Seaside's Cove area, where there was a native village.

 
The Salt Cairn - Much of Lewis and Clark's stay on the North Coast was spent securing sustenance for the winter and provisions for the trip home. By the time they reached the lower Columbia River region, the Corps had run out of valuable salt for seasoning food, and, perhaps more important, preserving meat. Capt. Clark didn’t care if his food was salty, but many other Corps members did. Good food meant good spirits, and keeping morale up during the rainy winter of 1805 was key. On the other hand, meat preservation was a matter of life or death for the Corps. Spoiled elk meat could make the Corps sick, and without meat for the return home, weakened with hunger.

During the winter of 1805 and 1806, salt became scarce and was badly needed by the expedition for preserving meat and fish, and for the coming return trip. Three men from the group were assigned to the beach some distance north of Seaside's Cove area, to establish the "Salt Cairn", also known as the "Salt Works". They worked continuously from Feb. 2, until Feb. 20, 1806, boiling sea water from which they extracted four bushels of salt. To make salt, the Corps had to find rocks to build a furnace, wood to burn, ocean water to boil, fresh water to drink and game animals. Nearby rivers weren’t salty enough, but a site 15 miles southwest of Fort Clatsop proved perfect. What’s more, there were homes of local Clatsop and Tillamook Indians nearby, local experts who could help the Corps members. Five men traveled to the beach site, built the camp and set five kettles to boiling, 24 hours a day, to produce salt. According to their records, they set out from Fort Clatsop on Dec. 28, 1805, and left the camp Feb. 20, 1806, with 3 ½ bushels or about 28 gallons of “Excellent, fine, strong & white” salt.

Lions Club builds replica of the Salt Cairn
The site of that Salt Works in Seaside was determined by the Oregon Historical Society in 1900, after the location was pointed out to their committee by Jennie Meschelle. Her Clatsop parents had seen the white men boiling sea water, and had shown her the spot when she was a young girl (She was born about 1816). A piece of land at the site was donated to the Oregon Historical Society in 1910 from the estate of Charles M. Cartwright. The Lions Club erected a replica of the Salt Works there in 1955, using sketches from the Lewis and Clark Journals. The "Salt Works" is now a National Monument, and is located in Seaside, on Lewis and Clark Way between Beach Drive and the Prom.

To get a real sense of the salt making process, a visit to the Salt Makers Living History reenactment is not to be missed. The reenactments take place for several weekends each summer and are an excellent opportunity to see the salt-making process, as well as to visit with costumed re-enactors who set up camp for 48 hours and make salt round-the-clock, just as the Corps’ members did. Bring along goods the members might need — the Corps members are usually willing to trade for items such as small foodstuff or camp supplies. Just don’t be surprised when they fail to recognize a watermelon slice or call a hot dog “an elk sausage” — remember it’s 1805!

If you would like to see the salt works while your in Seaside take the intersection of US Highway 101 and Avenue G, turn west to Beach Drive, then turn left to Lewis and Clark Way. Park where available without blocking private driveways. Walk west on Lewis and Clark Way to the Salt Cairn off of the Prom. The Living History reenactments held each summer are on the beach, off of Avenue U.

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