Seaman’s Day, Lewis and Clark National Historic Park

Seaman Day? What is that?

Every year on the second Wednesday of July Fort Clatsop (where the Corp of Discovery wintered 1805-1806 on the Oregon coast) hosts a full day of events and activities for adults and children focused solely on the 34th member of the Lewis and Clark expedition, Seaman, Meriwether Lewis’ dog. Seaman was a Newfoundland, and Seaman Day allows kids, and adults, to meet and touch dogs like him. Today our job was to be throughout the park so if someone wanted to see a Newfoundland they would and if they didn’t like dogs/afraid they would not feel threatened or like they couldn’t see the park. They had us sign up for a few of the different events and activities, we were signed up for the 1100 River walk, the Kid’s Corp, the 1430 Meet a Newf and a Seaman Stories at 1530. I was nervous about how Myra would do since she is great with people but pulls terribly and wants to play with every dog she sees and there would be a lot of dogs.

We set our alarms for 0430, took our showers the night before getting to bed kind of late but before midnight. Eve woke up pretty happy. Stephanie and Cyrus joined us as well and by the time we were to Portland area all three of our backseat passengers were checking for holes in their eyelids, no snoring included.

We made good time and had plenty of time to stop and eat breakfast at Safeway in Seaside. We were the first ones there by maybe two minutes and before 15 minutes had passed there were at least 5 more. We have a Newf but had really never seen or hung out with any other Newfoundland other than Myra and two brief visits with her parents when we met her and picked her up from the breeder. She was born from two family dog Newfs not a reputable breeder and Newfoundland owners and breeders can be a bit snobbish about where you got your Newf and linage/bloodline. Would they be excepting of Myra, would there be any other Newfoundlands as small as Myra? Would she get along with the other dogs her size? Would that much personal touch by strangers and kids climbing over her be taken in her usual low key stride? Time would soon tell.

The good news was all the other Newfs were as low key as Myra or lower key and as long as she had a chance to meet them after that she no longer pulled toward them and after the first half hour or so she didn’t really pull even for new dogs she did growl two times at a bigger dog throughout the day but it was short with no teeth or anything just a holy cow this a big dog and I don’t know what to think about a dog bigger than me. She liked all the events, but I think the Kid’s Corp was her favorite….the cool indoors with kids petting her all over while she sacked out on the floor. The other Newfoundland parents were all very friendly and not at all judge mental. It is funny how I remember all the dogs names and only a couple of the handlers names. They may all have the sameish colors and similar markings, but between personality, size and head shape they were very distinctly different. If we had let them all loose in a gym it would be easy to tell who is who.

With Uncle Jayson picking up Hannah from camp we didn’t have any time constraints, but everyone was done long about 1530. Eve and Cyrus were starting to misbehave, Myra was ready to not be bothered (mostly because Eve was misbehaving and poking her nose with sharp sticks which she did get in trouble for) but also she has never in her life been handled that much and she was starting to turn in towards us instead of reaching out with her nose to lick every new person who came with in reach. Instead of making it a bad experience we quit while we were ahead. Myra and I went out of the park and sat in the shade out front of the visitor’s center. Aunt Stephanie, Eve and Cyrus watched a few movies in the visitor center and Chad stayed to help one of the other Newf handlers finish the Seaman Stories presentation. We left as soon at the presentation was over as did Brogen (another Newfoundland, the best looking one I have ever seen in person) with us two being the last to leave the park of the doggy volunteers for Seaman’s Day at 4:30PM.

The kids were asleep within 10 minutes and stayed asleep most of the way home. It was a very good day! That only could have been made better by leaving about an hour earlier…we are taking note to remember that for next year.

Eve was giving Myra a volunteer hat to wear.

The flag raising ceremony. The period flag had 15 stars and 15 stripes. I never knew about flags with more than 13 stripes. Eventually they went back to thirteen because let’s face it 50 stars and 50 stripes would be a super complex flag. Shortly after this time period they decided to go back to thirteen for the original colonies and only add a new star for each state.

The replica fort is super awesome. I think we could live in a complex like this.
Check out this HUGE slug!
The family above has 4 Newfoundlands!!! I think one is plenty, I don’t know how they do it!