Fort Astoria

Fort Astoria (1811-1824) (1830-1848) - Established in April 1811 as headquarters for the Pacific Fur Company when the company arrived on board the Tonquin, captained by Jonathan Thorn. By the time an overland party joined them in February, 1812, they had constructed a trading store, a blacksmith's shop, a dwelling house, and a storage shed for pelts acquired from trapping or trading with the local native Americans. Cannons were arranged around the perimeter for defense. The outpost was to serve as an administrative center for various satellite forts such as Fort Okanogan. The fort was sold to the North West Company at the beginning of the War of 1812 and later became a Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) fort in 1821. Closed in 1825 when the HBC moved to Fort Vancouver.

Fort Astoria, 1813 (University of Washington Archives)	Fort Astoria Replica Blockhouse

War of 1812 (1812-1814)

The War of 1812 resulted in Astoria becoming Fort George (1) under British rule. On 12 Dec 1813, Captain Black, commanding the British corvette Racoon arrived at the fort. After dinner, a British flag was run up the staff, across which, Captain Black broke a bottle of Madeira wine, loudly declaring that he was taking possession of the post in the name of His Royal Majesty. He then changed the name of Fort Astoria to Fort George. The fort had been sold to the British North West Company at the beginning of the War of 1812 to prevent it's confiscation by the British.

The fort was renamed Fort Astoria after the British left in 1818 but the North West Company remained in control of the fort. In 1821 the Hudson's Bay Company and the North West Company merged and took the Hudson's Bay Company Name. The fort was abandoned in 1825 when the Hudson's Bay Company moved its fur trading operations to Fort Vancouver because they feared an American takeover of the post.

Current Status

A replica of the fort blockhouse is operated as a small city park inside the city of Astoria.

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Location: Northwest Corner of 15th and Exchange Streets, Astoria, Clatsop County, Oregon Maps & Images Lat: 46.188224 Long: -123.827441 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 25'

Source:

• Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 662
• Hart, Herbert M., Tour Guide to Old Western Forts, Pruett Publishing Co., Boulder CO, 1980, ISBN 0-87108-568-2, page 132
• Oregon Military History, Forts-Camps-Roads

Links:

• North American Forts - Fort Astoria
• Wikipedia - Fort Astoria

Visited: 28 Jan 2007

Picture Gallery

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  Fort Astoria Sign