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About Seaside signal. (Seaside, Or.) 1905-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 6, 2019)
Friday, September 6, 2019 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com • A3 Salt stories Lewi s and Clark Salt Makers returns to Seaside By KATHERINE LACAZE For Seaside Signal While salt is typically a product that’s taken for granted in the 21st century, it was a critically import- ant commodity for members of the Corps of Discovery during their western expedi- tion. Having run out of salt by the time they reached the Pacifi c north coast, they had no option but to make their own. “This is a unique occur- rence, a unique part of the story of Lewis and Clark,” John Orthmann, treasurer of the Pacifi c Northwest Liv- ing Historians, said. “It only happened in one place, and that was on the beach in Seaside.” About a half-dozen mem- bers of the living historians will be recreating this his- torical event Saturday and Sunday during the Lewis and Clark Salt Makers pro- gram, put on by the Sea- side Museum and Historical Society. The program will take place on the beach off Avenue U in Seaside – close to the actual historical site where the salt-making trans- pired more than 200 years ago. On Dec. 28, 1805, hav- ing exhausted their supply of salt, which was neces- sary to cure and pack meat, Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark sent out a special detachment from their recently completed winter quarters at Fort Clat- sop to look for a place to make salt. On Jan. 1, 1806, the expedition members located an ideal location in Seaside, because of its prox- imity to both the beach and the forest. The salt makers boiled sea Katherine Lacaze Salt heating in cauldrons. water in large kettles over a fi re day and night during the cold, wet months of January and February before return- ing to Fort Clatsop. Based on a report from Clark’s journal, the group made about three to four quarts of salt on a good day, produc- ing about 28 gallons of salt overall, according to Tom Wilson, a retired park ranger and former member of the living historians group. Event history The salt makers event – the name of which has var- ied slightly over the years – was introduced in 2003 by the Seaside museum and National Park Service at Fort Clatsop as well as the living historians group. The event was typically held in August. At one point, it took place all day and night in an authentic recreation of what the expedition members would have experienced. In 2015, after hosting a fi nal one-day event, the park service withdrew from the partnership, ushering in a two-year hiatus while uncer- tainty about the program loomed. In October 2018, the Ore- gon chapter of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Founda- Katherine Lacaze Members of the Pacifi c Northwest Living Historians in character at the Lewis and Clark Salt Makers event in Seaside. tion was hosting the group’s annual meeting in Astoria. They arranged funding for the living historians – which was no longer affi liated spe- cifi cally with Fort Clatsop – to again present the pro- gram about the salt making, “which is unique to the west coast portion of the story,” Orthmann said, adding, “It’s not something the explorers did anywhere else.” This year, the Seaside museum is once again pre- senting the program, using a grant from the city of Sea- side’s Tourism Advisory Committee, in partnership with the living historians, museum president Steve Wright said. The groups are holding the event in Sep- tember to target the shoul- der season for tourism and in the hopes of having pleas- ant weather. A change in perspective While the program will take place over two days at the beach in Seaside, there will be a slight change in interpre- tation. In the past, the event was presented in fi rst-person, with the interpreters assum- ing specifi c roles to portray the various expedition mem- bers and trading historically authentic goods with visitors who stopped by the camp. Although it won’t detract from the educational value of the program, it will affect the way interpreters inter- act with the public. Before, they had to stay in character and only provide information the Corps of Discovery mem- bers would have possessed Big Foot’s long gone, but tap room could be on horizon By R.J. MARX Seaside Signal Clark, Lewis and Jefferson to each have a pair. “That’ll stick with me for- ever,” Wilson said. Within a third-person con- text, the interpreters will no longer portray specifi c mem- bers, although they will still be dressed in period cos- tumes and use only peri- od-appropriate equipment for making salt. “I don’t think anyone will feel like it’s a lesser event because of the change in interpretation,” Wright said. Orthmann agreed, adding they can present the event as historians, taking advantage of 200 years of scholarship and research on the Lewis and Clark expedition when interacting with the public. “It enables us to answer a lot of questions,” he said. DINING on the NORTH COAST Great Restaurants in: GEARHART • SEASIDE CANNON BEACH WANT TO KNOW WHERE THE LOCALS GO? • Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner • Junior Menu RESTAURANT & LOUNGE • Lighter appetite menu R I LEY ’ S Who can forget the prime rib and smiley-face fries for the kids at Big- foot’s Steakhouse? The restaurant closed a year ago, after more than 20 years in the business as a gathering spot for tourists and locals alike. When the owner of the building at 2427 South Roosevelt Drive presented plans for 20 small stor- age units, Jimmy Griffi n thought he could fi nd a bet- ter use for the property. “We needed space any- way, so we’re using it as a warehouse,” Griffi n said Monday, Aug. 26. Griffi n, who owns Sea- side Brewing Co. at 851 Broadway, said he will store wood for smokers and kegs for beer at the former Bigfoot’s location. Griffi n leased the build- ing with an option to purchase. The property owner was going to turn it into 20 small storage units, he said. “It seemed like a waste of that particular location. We needed space anyway, so we’re just using it as a warehouse.” Griffi n plans to store wood for restaurant smok- ers and kegs in the for- mer Bigfoot’s, which was renowned for its Sasquatch statue and old-timey design. Griffi n said he had no plans for a restaurant at the location, but “if we can fi nd the time and money we may put in a tasting tap room,” he said. “Something simple. We may do some- thing down the road with it, but for now it’s just a warehouse. “We’ll know by spring whether we’re going to put something in there or not,” he added. in early 1806, meaning they couldn’t speak on the return journey or other aspects of the expedition. This led to interesting and sometimes comical interac- tions. For instance, one year, Wilson was portraying Clark when a young boy asked him, out of the blue, if he wore underwear beneath his pants. Staying true to char- acter, Wilson responded with confusion and described that as a waste of good mate- rial, but said he would relay the information to Lewis and then-president Thomas Jefferson. About 45 minutes later, the young boy returned with his parents bearing what he considered the perfect trade item for the explorer – a three-pack of underwear for BEST BREAKFAST IN TOWN! Fish ‘n Chips • Burgers • Seafood & Steak Friday & Saturday - Prime Rib Lounge Open Daily 9-Midnight All Oregon Lottery products available 1104 S Holladay • 503-738-9701 • Open Daily at 8am R.J. Marx The former site of Bigfoot’s will be used storage space for Seaside Brewing Co. Excellence in family dining found from a family that has been serving the North Coast for the past 52 years Great Great Great Homemade Breakfast, lunch and pasta, Clam H H H but that’s dinner steaks & Chowder, not all... menu,too! seafood! Salads! Seaside • 323 Broadway • 738-7234 (Open 7 Days) Cannon Beach • 223 S. Hemlock 436-2851 (7am-3pm Daily) Astoria • 146 W. Bond • 325-3144 Traditional Mexican, Seafood & Drinks 1445 S. Roosevelt Drive Seaside • 503-738-9678 Call Sarah Silver 503.325.3211 ext 1222 YOUR RESTAURANT AD HERE. R.J. Marx Sasquatch welcomed thousands of visitors to Bigfoot’s Steakhouse over its two-decade span. Find Your Next Regular Customers!
