Federal officials said Wednesday the burned-out Fort Clatsop would not be rebuilt in time for the November start of Lewis and Clark Bicentennial celebrations while researchers excavate the site and design a more authentic replica of the fort.
They did limit the time allowed for research and said construction might begin Dec. 10 -- 200 years to the day that Lewis and Clark began constructing their winter quarters.
They also announced the fort site will reopen to visitors today, just as a National Park Service team finished its investigation into the Oct. 3 blaze that destroyed the 50-year-old log structure. Findings by the park service and agents from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were not available, though as of last week they had found no evidence of arson.
Kind of a bummer of a story. The replica fort burned down recently just a few months short of the 200th anniversary of L&C's arrival at Clatsop.