Outside the museum is a piece of Clark Road Bridge, demolished in 2026. The bridge was built over
I-5 in 1957 to connect DuPont and Ft. Lewis. Thanks to Atkinson Construction for preserving the concrete date stamp.
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Date stamp shown in 2025
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Clark Road & Interstate 5
by Elise Ford
According to Cultural Resources Survey by David H. Stratton, 1977, “The Hudson’s Bay Company Trail, established in 1833, ran east from Fort Nisqually to Muck Creek. In 1889 it became a state highway and was designated as the Huggins-Gregg Road; in 1917 the roadway was paved and named Clark Way. A granite monument with a bronze plaque commemorating the Hudson’s Bay Company Trail (a State Inventory listing) is located at the intersection of present Clark Road and Interstate 5, Fort
Lewis.”
In 1957, an overpass was built above the original Clark Road for what is now Exit 119. Less than a century later, the Clark Road overpass was condemned for not meeting design standards. It was torn down in 2026. The same year, it was replaced with a newer, safer overpass that included features such as a pedestrian path, a traffic light on the off-ramp, and a diverging diamond interchange. The current overpass also circumvents the railroad tracks.
Sources:
Cultural Resources Survey – Dupont Site, Volume II by David H. Stratton
The Cascadian
The City of DuPont
Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT)