Category:Fort Vancouver

Fort Vancouver (1824-1860) - Fort Vancouver first a British fort was established in 1824 by the Hudson Bay Company to support the company's fur trading operations. It was established during a period of time when Great Britian and the United States were still vying for control over the areas west of the Rocky Mountains. The company was first located at Fort George on the south bank of the Columbia River which was clearly an American outpost. Dr. John McLoughlin arrived as the new Chief Factor of the Hudson Bay Company charged with selecting a new location that would put the headquarters in British claimed territory. The site he chose was on the north bank of the Columbia, slightly upstream from the junction of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers.

At the end of the War of 1812 the United States and Great Britain agreed to joint occupancy of the Oregon Territory until a final border could be established. The 1846 treaty between Great Britain and the United States established the present day Canadian border and resolved the issue of control over Washington and Oregon. Fort Vancouver was established in the middle of this period and operated under under the dual juristictions until 1846 when the issue was resolved by the treaty.

The fort was first built on a nearby bluff but after four difficult years was moved down to a plain with easy access to the water, just beyond the flood plain. It was surrounded by broad areas of prairie and trees that sloped upward to dense forests; it became known as Jolie Prairie or Belle Vue Point because of its intense natural beauty.

The Fort itself was the center of the largest Euro-American community on the west coast at the time with about 600 souls, about 350 employees of the Hudson Bay Company and their families. It was much more a community than a Fort and supported settlers, trappers, explorers and Indians while still achieving the Hudson Bay Company's mission of a viable commercial enterprise.

Initially Fort Vancouver was the end of the Oregon Trail and provided significant support for those first settlers in defiance of official Hudson Bay Company Policy. The Chief Factor, Dr. John McLoughlin, became known as the "Father of Oregon" for the support he rendered to those first settlers. As Hudson Bay Company phased out its operation in Fort Vancouver Dr. John McLoughlin retired to Oregon City, which he founded, and became an American citizen.

The American Years

In 1849 the United States Army arrived and built what would become Vancouver Barracks on the bluff above Fort Vancouver. In 1860 the Hudson Bay Company, which had transferred its headquarters to Fort Victoria in 1849, decided to abandon Fort Vancouver completely and the Hudson's Bay Company presence moved north. Fort Vancouver became a part of the Vancouver Barracks installation.

In 1948 Congress designated Fort Vancouver as a National Monument. In 1961 the Fort became a National Historic Site and in 1996 Congress designated 366 acres that included Fort Vancouver, Vancouver Barracks and other surrounding sites as the Vancouver National Historic Reserve. Over the years the Fort has been restored and now provides a great insight into the early years of the settlement of the Northwest.

Sources:

Links:

• National Park Service

Location:

North of Portland, Oregon and adjacent to the City of Vancouver, Washington. It borders US Interstate 5 just over the Columbia River bridge on the east side of the Interstate. Exit on East Plain Blvd. and follow the signs.