LEWIS & CLARK ROAD
The Lewis and Clark Road is the alternate route between Seaside and Astoria. A narrow paved road, it winds and twists through the hills on the west side of the Lewis and Clark River valley. Don?t take this road at night for the first time unless you want a real adventure. No, it doesn't quite go through that barn, but watch for the cattle!
Near Seaside the road passes through forests then gradually makes its way to farmland with pleasant older farmsteads with views of the river and mountains. Lyngstad Heights is an almost-village on a hill. As the road nears Astoria, clusters of houses become more frequent. The locality retains its rural character, but has a wide variety of housing, from old bungalows and farm houses to modern ranches.
The L&C Fire Station and the L&C Elementary School serve the area. The school is part of the Astoria School District. It is known for its small classes and personal attention to students.
MILES CROSSING AND JEFFERS GARDEN
The L&C Road passes through Miles Crossing where it crosses Business 101 and crosses the scenic Old Youngs Bay Bridge on the way to Astoria. This whole area functions as a suburb of Astoria. Miles Crossing is an intersection of the Youngs River Road, the Lewis and Clark Road, and Business Highway 101. It is a local landmark when giving directions. If you turn left (west) at the crossing, you will follow Bus Hwy 101 through Jeffers Garden, a working class community of cottages and older farm houses with an assortment of businesses along the highway. You will cross the attractive Lewis and Clark Bridge, which spans the river near its entrance into Youngs Bay. The road continues through forest and wetlands to Fort Clatsop (a portion of the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park) and the Astoria Regional Airport and U. S. Coast Guard Group/Air Station Astoria. The highway winds through a business sector to Hwy 101 near Astoria just south of the shopping malls and the Youngs Bay Bridge.
HISTORY
The Lewis and Clark expedition established its winter camp on the Lewis and Clark River in 1805-06. At Fort Clatsop you can see a replica of their camp, watch re-enactors carry on the daily life of the camp, visit the interpretive center, attend a film, and participate in a program led by a park ranger.
Lewis and Clark referred to the river both as both Ne-tul River and Fort River, by the 1850's it was referred to as Lewis and Clarks River. Netul Landing was the original Lewis and Clark canoe landing. The U.S. Revenue Service docked here to do maintenance work on its cutter in the 1860's. By 1862 regular ship service was established for vacationers from Portland to Netul Landing, where they would connect with a carriage or horse to the resort of Seaside. This lasted until the 1890's when advent of train travel made the dock obsolete. The landing became part of the historical park in 2005.
