August 16-18, 2013
5:00 p.m. Friday to 3:00 p.m. Sunday
Seaside, Oregon

Who would think boiling water could be so interesting? The Saltmakers Return to Seaside, August 16-18, in an annual sojourn into history where visitors can meet, trade, and talk with soldiers and civilians of the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery making salt for their return trip. Pacific Northwest Living Historian interpreters will set up a camp on the beach in south Seaside. Here they will make salt from seawater 24 hours a day from 5:00 p.m. Friday through 3:00 p.m. Sunday. This event will be on the beach at the west end of Avenue U in Seaside, Oregon. (From Highway 101 take Avenue U to the beach. From the Promenade in Seaside, walk south to where Avenue U meets the beach.)

The Saltmakers Return is a free interactive learning opportunity for the whole family. This weekend program is a 46-hour first-person historical interpretation of the 1806 winter salt making operation of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. After a brief orientation, the public is encouraged to walk into the camp and visit with members of the expedition who will be making salt by boiling seawater over a fire. This popular program attracts about 2,000 visitors each year.

Each year since 2001, The Seaside Museum & Historical Society partners with the Pacific Northwest Living Historians and Lewis and Clark National Historical Park to produce The Saltmakers Return to Seaside. This year’s event is sponsored by the Oregon Historic Trails Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation, Clatsop County Cultural Coalition, City of Seaside Promotions Committee and Public Works Department, The Tides Motel, Clatsop County Work Crew, and Oregon State Parks.

Members of the Pacific Northwest Living Historians have been portraying characters of the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery for these special programs since 2001. Their annual schedule includes The Saltmakers Return program in Seaside each August and Wintering Over at Fort Clatsop each January.

For more information, call Lewis and Clark NHP, Fort Clatsop at (503) 861-2471, ext 214 or the Seaside Museum & Historical Society at (503) 738-7065.

Seaside, Oregon — 

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