Fort Stevens State Park
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Fort Stevens State Park
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 Wreck of the Peter Iredale (2006) |
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| location | Clatsop County in Oregon (USA) | |
| surface | 1719 ha | |
| Geographical location | 46 ° 11 ' N , 123 ° 58' W | |
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| administration | Oregon Parks and Recreation Dept. | |
The Fort Stevens State Park is a state park in Clatsop County in the US state of Oregon . It lies at the mouth of the Columbia River and is the third largest state park in Oregon with an area of 1719 hectares. It was named after the former coastal fortification Fort Stevens located on the site .
geography
The park is south of the mouth of the Columbia River on the Pacific coast. The park includes over 6 km of sandy beach as well as dunes, wetlands and coastal forests. In the dunes are the elongated, 4 km long Coffenbury Lake and other smaller lakes.
Flora and fauna
Large parts of the park are forested with Sitka spruce , coastal pines , West American hemlocks , red alder and buckthorn , plus a dense undergrowth of smaller trees and shrubs such as Oregon wild apples , rhododendrons, blueberries, heather, raspberries and Shallon shamberries . White-tailed deer , raccoons , beavers , waterfowl and numerous other animal species live in the park .
history
In 1955, Clatsop County transferred 319 hectares to the state. The park reached its present size through purchases and other donations, the site of the former coastal fortification was transferred to Oregon State Parks in 1975, which are gradually restoring the facilities. The site has been accessible as a state park since 1980.
Tourist facilities
There is a fee to visit the park. In the park is the largest campsite in Oregon with 600 spaces. An observation deck offers panoramic views of the Columbia Estuary. Coffenbury Lake is a popular fishing spot and also has two swimming areas, a picnic area with toilet facilities and a boat ramp. There are boat ramps for canoeists and anglers at two other lakes. Over 14 km of biking and hiking trails lead through the park, in the north of the park is the northern end point of the Oregon Coast Trail .
On the beach you can still see the remains of the wreck of the English sailing ship Peter Iredale , which was stranded on October 25, 1906 when entering the Columbia River.
Fort Stevens
The gun emplacements and bunkers of the former coastal fortification can be viewed from the outside. A part of the earthworks from the time of the Civil War was restored, on the Battery 245 built during the Second World War two 12.7 cm naval guns were installed in 1979, which are similar to the originally installed 15.2 cm guns. A 15.2 cm gun is currently being reconstructed in Battery Pratt . The Battery Mishler, which was built around 1900, the Battery 245, which was built during the Second World War, and the underground command center can be viewed on guided tours.
The fort's friends of the fort, Friends of Old Fort Stevens , have a small museum and souvenir shop. A former officers' quarters built in 1905 now serves as a privately run guest house with Victorian interior furnishings.
The former fortress grounds are used several times a year as the setting for re-enactments for scenes from the Civil War or World War II.
literature
- Jan Bannan: Oregon State Parks. A complete Recreation Guide. Seattle: Mountaineers Books, 2nd Edition 2002, ISBN 978-0-89886-794-7
Web links
- Oregon State Parks: Fort Stevens State Park
- Internet presence of the Friends of Old Fort Stevens
- Fort Stevens State Park on the United States Geological Survey's Geographic Names Information System
Individual evidence
- ^ Fort Stevens State Historical Site, pdf. (PDF; 2.9 MB) (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on September 4, 2011 ; Retrieved September 20, 2011 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ ODFW: Coffenbury Lake. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on April 13, 2012 ; Retrieved September 28, 2011 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ US Forting: Fort Stevens Gun Update. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on November 9, 2011 ; Retrieved September 28, 2011 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Officer's Inn Bed and Breakfast. Retrieved September 28, 2011 .
