Chinook Point
Chinook Point | |
View from Fort Columbia across the mouth of the Columbia River to Astoria, Oregon, and Saddle Mountain. | |
| Nearest city | Chinook, Washington |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 46°15′5″N 123°55′19″W / 46.25139°N 123.92194°W |
| Area | 286 acres (116 ha) |
| Built | 1792 |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000747 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | July 4, 1961 |
Chinook Point is a headland in Pacific County, Washington. Located just northwest of the mouth of the Columbia River, it is historically significant for several reasons. Captain Robert Gray, the first non-native to enter the river, saw it from Chinook Point in 1792. In 1805, it was the site of an encampment by the Lewis and Clark Expedition. It has been the site of military fortifications since 1864, most notably in the late 1890s, when most of the presently surviving Fort Columbia structures were built. The point, which constitutes the most developed portion of Fort Columbia State Park, was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961.