The lower Columbia River is home to a long and ongoing Chinookan history, shaped by thousands of years of life along the river and its surrounding lands.
Today, that history can be explored in museums, historic sites and cultural exhibits found around the mouth of the river.
From former Chinookan village sites to exhibits featuring contemporary tribal members and artists, these places offer different perspectives on the people, traditions and events that have shaped the region.
Here are several places in and around Astoria where visitors can learn more about Chinookan history and the Indigenous communities of the lower Columbia.
Middle Village & Station Camp
Across the Astoria-Megler Bridge in Washington, the Middle Village & Station Camp unit of Lewis and Clark National Historical Park offers one of the clearest opportunities to learn about a Chinookan village in the landscape where it stood.
Middle Village was an important Chinookan trading community. Today, interpretive panels, viewing areas, replica canoes and a traditional-style Chinookan cedar plankhouse help tell the story of the village, its trade networks and its encounters with the Lewis and Clark expedition.
It is a self-guided site and can be visited as part of a trip along the Washington side of the Columbia.
Middle Village & Station Camp is open during daylight hours daily; 354 US-101, Chinook; $10 entrance fee.
Columbia River Maritime Museum
In Astoria, the Columbia River Maritime Museum offers a contemporary look at Chinookan history and culture through “ntsayka ilíi ukuk – This Is Our Place”, an exhibit created in collaboration with the Chinook Indian Nation tribe.
The exhibit features documentary photographs by Amiran White, who spent nearly a decade documenting Chinook community life. The images show ceremonies, canoeing and salmon traditions alongside everyday moments with family and friends.
“Ntsayka ilíi ukuk – This Is Our Place” is part of a broader effort by the museum to expand its Indigenous representation, which has historically been limited. Its long-term Cedar and Sea exhibit focuses on traditional lifeways along the Pacific Northwest coast through the work of contemporary Native artists. Western red cedar serves as a central theme, with baskets, carving, fishing and other objects showing how traditional practices continue today.
Together, the exhibits offer a look at Indigenous culture as something living and ongoing, not simply a history preserved in artifacts.
The Columbia River Maritime Museum is open 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. daily; 1792 Marine Drive, Astoria; $18 for adults, $15 for seniors and students, $8 for kids.
Fort Clatsop
At Lewis and Clark National Historical Park south of Astoria, visitors can explore a replica of Fort Clatsop, the winter encampment where the Corps of Discovery stayed from December 1805 to March 1806.
The expedition named the fort for the Clatsop, a Chinookan people whose ancestral homelands include the mouth of the Columbia River. The original fort deteriorated after the expedition left. A replica was built in 1955, later destroyed by fire, and rebuilt in 2006 based on William Clark’s original sketches.
Visitors can tour the replica, explore nearby trails and visit the park’s museum and visitor center, where seasonal ranger programs and living-history demonstrations offer more context about the expedition and the Clatsop people.
Fort Clatsop is open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. between Labor Day and mid-June, and 9 a.m.-6 p.m. during summer; 92343 Fort Clatsop Road, Astoria; $10 entrance fee.
Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center
Perched above the mouth of the Columbia River at Cape Disappointment, the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center offers sweeping views and exhibits focused on the Corps of Discovery’s journey to the Pacific.
Inside, visitors can learn about the expedition’s route, its encounters with Indigenous peoples and the challenges the explorers faced as they navigated the Lower Columbia. The exhibits also provide context about the Chinookan communities who lived along the river and coast, whose history in the region long predates the Lewis and Clark expedition.
For those exploring Chinookan history, the center can be paired with Middle Village & Station Camp, where visitors can learn more about the Chinookan community and trading networks that existed here long before Lewis and Clark arrived.
Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily from April 1-Oct. 31 and Wednesday-Sunday from Nov. 1-March 31; 244 Robert Gray Drive, Ilwaco, Wash.; $5 entrance fee.
Astoria Column
The Astoria Column offers another place to learn about the region’s Chinookan history. The monument grounds include a replica of Chief Comcomly’s burial canoe, connecting visitors to the history of the Chinookan peoples and the lower Columbia River.
The column itself features a series of murals depicting scenes from the region’s early history. Visitors can also climb the column for views of the Columbia River, Astoria and the surrounding landscape.
Astoria Column is open daily from 5 a.m.-10 p.m.; 1 Coxcomb Drive, Astoria; $5 parking fee.
Look beyond the museums
Other museums, historical organizations and arts groups around Astoria, Warrenton and the Washington coast periodically host exhibits, talks and programs focused on Indigenous history and contemporary Native life.
For the most direct perspective, readers can also turn to the Chinook Indian Nation itself for information about its history, culture and continuing work for federal recognition.
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