New park combines Lewis and Clark sites

LEWIS and Clark probably wanted to forget Dismal Nitch. But one of their worst stops will live on, thanks to a new national historical park.

The new Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, which pieces together territory from the explorers’ Washington and Oregon excursions, was dedicated last week as the country’s 120th historic site, coinciding with the bicentennial of the duo’s expedition to the Northwest.

A bill President Bush signed this month renames the Fort Clatsop memorial in Oregon in honor of the explorers and allows the National Park Service to expand the park across state lines.

Plans include acquiring Dismal Nitch, which trapped Lewis and Clark for five days; Station Camp, where they surveyed the Columbia River’s mouth; and part of Cape Disappointment State Park that Washington state is donating.

For information, go to www.nps.gov/focl/ and click on “In Depth.”

-- Ashley Powers