Fort Columbia State Park is a 593 acres (2.4 km²) park located in Chinook, Washington

Chinook, Washington

Chinook is a census-designated place in Pacific County, Washington, United States. The population was 457 at the 2000 census and increased to 466 at the 2010 census.-History:...

. The historic park encompasses Fort Columbia, one of the few intact coastal defense sites in the United States.

Fort Columbia State Park is one of several state parks and sites in Washington and Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

 that make up the Lewis and Clark National and State Historical Parks

Lewis and Clark National and State Historical Parks

The Lewis and Clark National and State Historical Parks, in the vicinity of the mouth of the Columbia River, commemorate the Lewis and Clark Expedition...

.

Fort history

Fort Columbia was built from 1896 to 1904 to support the defenses of the Columbia River

Columbia River

The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...

. The fort was constructed on the Chinook Point

Chinook Point

Chinook Point is a headland in Pacific County, Washington. Captain Robert Gray, the first non-native to enter the Columbia River, saw the river from Chinook Point in 1792...

 promontory because of the unobstructed view. Fort Columbia was declared surplus at the end of World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 and was transferred to the custody of the state of Washington in 1950.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Battery 246 was outfitted to serve as a Civil Defense Emergency Operating Center and was one of several possible locations the governor could use in an emergency.

Park features

Twelve historic wood-frame fort buildings still stand. The Fort Columbia Commanding Officers Quarters is decorated with turn of the century furnishings and is open for tours in the summer. Exhibits at the Fort Columbia Interpretive Center focus on the fort's history, early explorers and pioneer history. Visitors can walk around three artillery batteries

Artillery battery

In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit of guns, mortars, rockets or missiles so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems...

on the park grounds. There are five miles (8 km) of hiking trails that work their way up Scarborough Hill.

The park is open during daylight hours and does not offer camping. The Steward's House and Scarborough House are available as vacation rental homes.

External links

• Fort Columbia State Park - official site
• Fort Columbia State Park - Long Beach Area State Parks with more detailed information