Astoria and Warrenton form the oldest American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains, dating to Lewis and Clark. The area includes Fort Stevens, where young soldiers in Union blue guarded the mouth of the Columbia River; active from 1863 until after World War II, it survives as a one hundred acre museum rich in military history. It also includes Fort Clatsop National Memorial, which preserves the story and significance of the 1803-1806 Lewis and Clark Expedition and features a visitor center and a replica of the expedition's 1805-06 winter encampment. Other historic sites include the Flavel House, an elegant Queen Anne style home built in 1885 for river bar pilot and entrepreneur Captain George Flavel, as well as the Heritage Museum and the Uppertown Firefighters Museum. The Columbia River Maritime Museum presents shipwrecks, lighthouses, fishing, navigation, and naval history, including the floating lighthouse Lightship Columbia. The Astoria Column stands as a unique international work of historic architecture depicting the evolution of the area, with views of the Columbia River, ocean, bays, and mountains.