What happened to the Clatsop Indians?
The tribal population was already in decline (from a small pox epidemic 20-30 years before the L&C Expedition) at the time of the explorers’ arrival. After Astoria began as a fur trading post, the Clatsops married into the arriving American and European population. Today they are not recognized as a separate American Indian Nation and there is no one who is 100% Clatsop, but there are many descendants of the Clatsops who live in the area and elsewhere. Today the Clatsops are included with the Chinook Tribal Council (Chinook, WA) who are seeking federal recognition.
