The Astoria Column is the last of 12 historical markers saluting early explorers and settlers from St. Paul, MN, to Astoria, OR. The Astoria column focuses on the history of the Northwest through a series of panels that spiral up the column with the earliest history at the bottom. It covers pre-1792 through the 1880s.
The second picture focuses on the panel dealing with the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
The final picture shows the saltworks of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, which are located in the city of Seaside, OR, about 15 miles down the coast from Astoria. Note the five buckets for salt water set into the top of the cairn.
The records of Lewis and Clark indicate that a small contingent of the Expedition spent several months distilling 4 bushels of salt from an estimated 1400 gallons of seawater. The "boiling down operations" continued 24 hours a day. The salt was essential for curing meat for the return trip. The Expedition had run out of salt before reaching the Oregon coast.
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