Chinook Point
Chinook Point | |
 View from Fort Columbia across the mouth of the Columbia River to Astoria, Oregon, and Saddle Mountain. | |
   | |
| Nearest city | Chinook, Washington |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 46°15′5″N 123°55′19″W / 46.25139°N 123.92194°W |
| Area | 286 acres (116 ha) |
| Built | 1792 |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000747 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966[1] |
| Designated NHL | July 4, 1961[2] |
Chinook Point is a
Description and history
Chinook Point is a hilly promontory on the north bank of the Columbia River, roughly east of its actual mouth, which is marked on the north by Cape Disappointment and the south by Point Adams. The point is fortified with the remains of Fort Columbia, which include thirteen buildings erected in 1902, and three artillery emplacements installed between 1897 and 1900.[3]
The mouth of the Columbia River, the major river of the northwestern United States, was almost discovered several times before Captain Robert Gray spotted it in 1792. Spanish explorer
The area became of military interest in the 1860s, when the United States embarked on a systematic improvements to its coastal defenses, including in the Pacific Northwest. A military reservation was established at Chinook Point in 1864, but was not significantly developed. It was not until 1898, when both the Spanish–American War and heightened tension with Britain over the Alaska boundary dispute prompted formal development.
Chinook Point is now part of Fort Columbia State Park, which is in turn part of the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, a series of preserved sites commemorating the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
See also
- List of Washington state parks
- List of National Historic Landmarks in Washington (state)
- National Register of Historic Places in Pacific County, Washington
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
- ^ a b "Chinook Point". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on January 30, 2008. Retrieved March 1, 2008.
- ^ a b c Cecil McKithan (October 10, 1977). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Chinook Point" (pdf). National Park Service.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) and Accompanying six photos, from 1977. (32 KB)
External links
- Lewis and Clark National Park .COM
- U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Chinook Point
