As natural and cultural resources along the lower Columbia River are lost to development, Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge offers one of the last remnants of the natural landscape visited by Lewis and Clark in 1806 and utilized by the Cathlapotle people for generations before the explorers’ arrival.

Among the largest Chinookan villages Lewis and Clark encountered, today Cathlapotle is significant as one of the few archaeological sites that still remains intact on the lower Columbia. A decade of archaeological research has produced a wealth of information about the Cathlapotle people and the environment in which they lived. 

The Cathlapotle Plankhouse Project was initiated to construct a full-scale Chinookan-style plankhouse where both the community and visitors to the area could learn about and develop a sense of stewardship for the rich natural and cultural heritage of the Refuge.

The Cathlapotle Plankhouse was opened to the public for the first time in a ceremony on March 29, 2005. During a one-month period alone it attracted more than 1000 visitors to the Refuge to learn about the history and resources of the area.  It continues to be open to the public on a regular basis, thanks to the ongoing involvement of a corps of volunteer docents and rangers.  The diverse partnership will continue to evolve as the plankhouse becomes established in the community as a venue for environmental and heritage education. It is expected that school groups, eco-tour groups, and individual travelers will visit the plankhouse in large numbers as the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial arrives on the lower Columbia River . But because of its core messages about the people, habitat, and wildlife that have coexisted here for generations, the plankhouse will be a vibrant learning resource long after the Bicentennial ends in 2006. Moreover, what had its roots as an archaeological project and planning process for the commemoration of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial commemoration has the potential to expand into long-term relationships among all the partners on a variety of cultural and natural resource-oriented programs.