As a result, the Corps wintered over near modern day Astoria in Oregon. Five years after The Corps left Fort Clatsop to return home, Astoria was established as the first American settlement west of the Rockies. Although it is possible this may have occurred anyway because of fur trading, it is also possible that Portland or The Dalles may have become the first settlement had the Corps chosen to winter over east up the river.
Click here to see how the Corps’ votes were recorded in the Journals.
Click here to see what happens if you voted to head east to Sandy River or “the falls.”
