| Lewis and Clark State Park is a 621-acre camping park situated in one of the last major stands of old-growth forest in the state. Coniferous trees, streams, wetlands and dense vegetation comprise the park environment. Caverns were formed under the park and surrounding area by cooling lava from Mount Rainier. These caverns are presently being used for the storage of natural gas. There is a self-guided half-mile interpretive trail in the park, featuring information on the park's old growth forest. Recreation at the park includes camping, picnicking, hiking, a natural wading pool, a children's play area, juvenile fishing, and horseback riding. Lewis and Clark State Park, which is actually separate from the Lewis and Clark Trail, began as a "public camp" for automobile tourists in 1922. Two years later, more than 10,000 people visited the park. The old north spur of the Oregon Trail, which extended from the Cowlitz River landing to the city of Tumwater, passed directly through the present park site. When pioneers used this road, ramps had to be built over some of the downed logs (six to nine feet in diameter), since no saws were capable of cutting the giants. The park has a unique stand of old-growth forest, primarily Douglas fir and red cedar, one of the last old-growth forest stands remaining along Hwy. 99. Half of the old-growth trees along the highway were blown down in the 1962 Columbus Day Storm (8.5 million board feet of the original 13.5 million). Located nearby, the John R. Jackson House was the first American pioneer home built north of the Columbia River. It was constructed in 1845 by the man for whom it is named. |
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