Lewis and Clark State Park is a public recreation area located northeast of
Winlock and immediately south of
Mary's Corner in
Lewis County,
Washington. Named after the explorers
Lewis and Clark
Lewis may refer to:
Names
* Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name
* Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname
Music
* Lewis (musician), Canadian singer
* "Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohead ...
, despite the expedition not venturing in the area during their travels, the
state park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...
occupies one of the last major stands of
old-growth forest
An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological featur ...
in the state. When the park opened in the 1920s it was visited by over 10,000 people per year.
History
Lewis and Clark State Park began in May 1922 after the state park board announced a park to be located on Lacamas Hill approximately south of Chehalis on the
Pacific Highway. The park was dedicated on September 23, 1922 during a ceremony that included Washington state governor
Louis F. Hart
Louis Folwell Hart (4 January 18624 December 1929) was an American politician who served as the seventh Lieutenant Governor of Washington from 1913 to 1919 and as the List of governors of Washington, ninth governor of Washington from 1919 to 192 ...
. At the time considered the largest state park in Washington, the grounds contained the largest tract of old-growth forest in a Washington state park. Under a resolution passed by the state legislature in 1921, the park is required to remain as a natural wooded area.
Amenities and features
The park's include camping areas and trails for hiking and horseback riding. Trails within the parcel border on a zone showing the forest rebounding from damage due to the
Columbus Day Storm of 1962.
Evidence of the efforts by the
Civilian Conservation Corps to improve the park in the 1930s can be found in the park's rustic shelters and restroom facilities.
Remnants of the Cowlitz Trail are visible in the park, noted by deep grooves caused by wagons and settlers traveling the route.
See also
*
Jackson House State Park Heritage Site
*
Matilda N. Jackson State Park Heritage Site
References
External links
Lewis and Clark State ParkWashington State Parks and Recreation Commission
Lewis and Clark State Park MapWashington State Parks and Recreation Commission
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State parks of Washington (state)
Parks in Lewis County, Washington
Protected areas established in 1922
Civilian Conservation Corps in Washington (state)