The Clatsop were a Chinookan-speaking people who lived on the south shore of the Columbia River estuary, near present-day Astoria, Oregon. The expedition built Fort Clatsop in their territory and maintained a generally positive relationship during the winter of 1805-1806.
The Clatsop traded fish, roots, and other provisions with the expedition, and their chief Coboway visited the fort regularly. The expedition named their winter quarters “Fort Clatsop” in honor of this relationship.
When the expedition departed in March 1806, they gave the fort to Coboway. The Clatsop later suffered severe population decline from introduced diseases and were eventually absorbed into the broader Chinookan cultural sphere. Today the Chinook Indian Nation (which includes Clatsop descendants) continues to seek federal recognition.
