Oregon Coast's Most Famous Black Pioneer, York Featured in Seaside Talk

Published 9/09/24 at 6:55 p.m.
By Andre' GW Hagestedt, Oregon Coast Beach Connection

(Seaside, Oregon) – When Lewis and Clark and their Corps of Discovery made it to the coastlines of Oregon and Washington, the U.S. wasn't quite yet even 30 years old, and a massive almost second-half of the country had just been acquired. With them was York, an enslaved man who took part in the entire Lewis and Clark Expedition from 1803-1806.

He was part of an incredibly significant moment in United States history, which occurred at Station Camp on November 24 of 1805. This was the first time a vote was counted by a black man, a Native American and a woman. Lewis and Clark asked the entire troupe to vote on where to set up winter quarters, and this included York and Sacagewea. The majority voted to head south, and thus Fort Clatsop on the north Oregon coast came into being.

Yet what is known about York besides his participation in this journey? Zachary Stocks of Oregon Black Pioneers will present a detailed biography of York which reveals his experiences during the Expedition, his life before and after, and his place within national African American history.
Stocks leads this season's first History & Hops program, a series of local history discussions hosted by the Seaside Museum on the last Thursday of each month, September through May, at Seaside Brewing Co. It happens September 26 at 6 p.m.

Zachary Stocks is a public historian, interpreter, and the Executive Director of Oregon Black Pioneers. Zachary previously served as Program Director of Historical Seaport and Visitor Services Manager of Northwest African American Museum. He is a former intern of Colonial Williamsburg and Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, and a former seasonal Park Ranger at Lewis & Clark National Historical Park. He holds a BA in History from the College of William & Mary with a certificate in Public History from the National Institute for American History and Democracy, and an MA in Museology from the University of Washington.

Zachary lives right on the north Oregon coast, in Astoria.

Fort Clatsop, courtesy photo

“Oregon Black Pioneers is Oregon’s only historical society dedicated to preserving and presenting the experiences of African Americans statewide,” Stocks said.

The group has been around for more than 30 years, illuminating the seldom-told stories of people of African descent in Oregon through engaging exhibits, public programs, publications, and historical research.

Preserving Seaside’s History since 1974, the Seaside Museum & Historical Society is a non-profit educational institution with the mission to collect, preserve, and interpret materials illustrative of the history of Seaside and the surrounding area. For further information, contact Emily Halverson during museum hours at 503-738-7065.

Also Coming: Coos Bay's 150th Birthday: S. Oregon Coast Town Continues to Party It Up - History programs, music and dancing gigs, Pirate Day, even an Oktoberfest. Coos Bay as a city has been whooping it up for its 150th birthday for the last few months, and there's the home stretch of celebrations about to happen as it all peaks in October.

It was in 1874 that Marshfield was born – the wee burgh that was the precursor to Coos Bay.

This is all a south Oregon coast party of historic proportions – quite literally. This epic shindig takes you down roads into the town's past, into a couple of dance and music gigs, and it even veers into German brat 'n beer territory.

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Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees over 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

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