Lewis and Clark's Columbia River
Lewis & Clark's Columbia River - "200 Years Later"
"Fort Vancouver, Washington"
Includes ... Fort Vancouver ... Fort Vancouver National Historic Site ... Vancouver National Historic Reserve ... Hudson Bay Company ... Jolie Prairie ... Kanaka Village ... National Register of Historic Places ...
Image, 2006, Palisades and Bastion, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Fort Vancouver, Washington. Image taken August 27, 2006.


Fort Vancouver ...
In 1825 Fort Vancouver was established along the Washington banks of the Columbia River at River Mile (RM) 106.5. The fort was first a fur-trading post for the British Hudson's Bay Company and was initially located on a ridge above the Columbia. In 1828 it was re-located on a beautiful prairie along the Columbia's banks known as "Jolie Prairie". Downstream of Fort Vancouver is the city of Vancouver, the Interstate 5 Bridge, and Vancouver Lake. Across the river and hugging the Oregon side is Hayden Island, with the mouth of the Willamette River being slightly downstream. Upstream of Fort Vancouver is Pearson Field and upstream across the Columbia is the Portland International Airport. Fifteen miles upstream is located the "Tea Prairie", the location of today's Camas and Washougal.

Image, 2006, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Inside the compound, Fort Vancouver, Washington. Image taken August 27, 2006.


Hudson's Bay Company ...
Early Fort Vancouver was a fur-trading post for the British Hudson's Bay Company.
[More]

Vancouver National Historic Reserve ...
In 1996 the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site became part of the broader Vancouver National Historic Reserve, encompassing acreage from many historical areas around the fort, including the fort, Officer's Row, Vancouver Barracks, and Pearson Field.
[More]

Image, 2005, Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, Vancouver, Washington. Entrance sign to the Fort Vancouver NHS. The fort's bastion is in the background. On the right is the arch of the Interstate 5 Bridge, connecting Vancouver, Washington, with Portland, Oregon. Image taken March 18, 2005.
Image, 2004, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Fort Vancouver, Washington. The fort's palisade was built not for protection of the fort, but to protect trading items from theft. View is looking out of the gates towards the Vancouver Barracks. Image taken March 7, 2004.


Fort Vancouver ... History ...
Fort Vancouver was established in 1825 by the Hudson's Bay Company, at Jolie Prairie, part of the floodplain of the Columbia River. Fearing Indian attacks, the Fort was first built away from the Columbia, on the bluff overlooking the river. Today this is the location of the Washington School for the Deaf, located at the intersection of Evergreen Boulevard and Grand Avenue.

Simpson's early correspondence refers to Jolie Prairie as "Belle Vue Point" apparently in the mistaken belief it was the same point of land named by Lieutenant Broughton of the British navy, when he surveyed the river in 1792. Broughton's "Belle Vue Point" is located downstream on the eastern tip of Sauvie Island.

In 1829 the Hudson's Bay Company moved the Fort to a lower location, known as "Jolie Prairie".

"... In 1829, with no significant threat materializing from the Chinook, the initial palisade was abandoned and a new site for the palisade was selected on the river plain known as Jolie Prairie and later as Fort Plain. Driving the move was the decision by HBC Governor George Simpson to make Fort Vancouver the headquarters for the HBC Columbia Department. The Fort Plain site provided open land with rich soils suitable for cultivated fields and pasture, close to the river for access to fresh water and transportation, but above the flood zone. The dense conifer forest to the west and north provided a ready supply of timber, while the freshwater pond near the shore became the nexus for building and other industrial activities. Six miles to the east, streams provided a power source for the first grist and saw mills in the Pacific Northwest. ... At the height of its development on Fort Plain, 1844-1846, Fort Vancouver included the palisade at its core, with other landscape features radiating out from this center. Cultivated fields, with prairie or pasture beyond, surrounded the palisade to the south, southeast, east and northeast. Directly north and west of the palisade were extensive gardens and orchards. Further to the west and southwest extended the employee village (Village), also known as Kanaka or Company Village, where numerous small dwellings and outbuildings housed the Company's employees. ..." [U.S. National Park Service website, 2005, Fort Vancouver]

This second Fort became the headquarters and principal supply depot for the Hudson Bay Company's "Department of the Columbia" and the center for the Northwest fur trade. It also became the western terminus of the Oregon Trail. The freshwater ponds have long since disappeared and the location of the sawmill is now the location of the Vancouver Trout Hatchery.

In 1849 the Hudson's Bay Company transfered its headquarters from Fort Vancouver north to Fort Victoria in Canada, leaving behind a small contingent of men. A U.S. Army post was established in May 1849 next to the Hudson Bay Company "fort". This new Army Post was called "Columbia Barracks" until 1853 when it was renamed "Fort Vancouver". In 1879 the Army Post was again renamed, this time to "Vancouver Barracks".

In June 1860 the British totally abandoned the Fort Vancouver and moved, leaving the fort and village to the Americans. The Army occupied some of the buildings, but fire destroyed all visible traces of the establishment by 1866.

In 1966 Fort Vancouver National Historic Site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (Site - #66000370).

Today Fort Vancouver is a National Historic Site and part of the Vancouver National Historic Reserve. Archaeological digs and Fort restoration have taken place, allowing the public to learn about the Fort.


[MORE HISTORY and Journal Entries]


Views ...

Image, 2006, The First Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Sign, The First Fort Vancouver, Washington. The first Fort Vancouver was located at the location of today's Washington State School for the Deaf. Image taken March 12, 2006.
Image, 2006, Hudsons Bay Historic Neighborhood sign, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Sign, "Hudson's Bay Historic Neighborhood". Image taken August 26, 2006.
Image, 2006, Palisades and Bastion, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Fort Vancouver, Washington. The corner "bastion" was built in 1845. Image taken August 27, 2006.
Image, 2006, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Chief Factor's House, Fort Vancouver, Washington. Covered in grapes. Image taken August 27, 2006.
Image, 2017, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Bastion, Orchards, and Plane, Fort Vancouver, Washington. Pearson Airpark lies just east of Fort Vancouver. Image taken April 21, 2017.


More ...


Fort Vancouver, etc.

  • The Bastion ...
  • Chief Factor's House ...
  • Around the Fort ...
  • The Garden and Orchard ...
  • The Museum ...
  • The Stockade ...
  • The Village ...
  • Sawmills and Gristmills ...
  • Waterfront Park ...


The Bastion ...

Image, 2006, Palisades and Bastion, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Fort Vancouver, Washington. Image taken August 27, 2006.

The walls of Fort Vancouver were known as the "Palisades" and were not for defense, but instead were built to protect the trade goods from theft. A tower known as a "Bastion" was not a part of the original fort but was built in 1845 on the northwest corner of the Palisade. Three floors exist, with the top floor housing 8 three-pounder cannons.
Image, 2006, Bastion, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Bastion, Fort Vancouver, Washington. Image taken August 27, 2006.
Image, 2006, Bastion, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Bastion, Fort Vancouver, Washington. Image taken August 27, 2006.

Note cannon muzzle behind the glass. Gun slits are on the top and sides of the window. Glass is modern addition for visitor safety.
Image, 2006, Palisades and Bastion, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Fort Vancouver, Washington. The corner "bastion" was built in 1845. Image taken August 27, 2006.

Note cannon muzzle behind the glass. Gun slits are on the top and sides of the window. Glass is modern addition for visitor safety.
Image, 2006, Bastion, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Bastion cannons, Fort Vancouver, Washington. Image taken August 27, 2006.
Image, 2006, Bastion, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		View of the Fort from the Bastion gun slit, Fort Vancouver, Washington. Image taken August 27, 2006.
Image, 2006, Bastion, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Pearson Field as seen from the Bastion gun slit, Fort Vancouver, Washington. Image taken August 27, 2006.
Image, 2006, View from Bastion, Fort Vancouver, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		"Kanaka Village" location, Fort Vancouver, Washington. View from Fort Vancouver's Bastion, looking towards the Interstate 5 Bridge crossing the Columbia River. Image taken August 27, 2006.

The fields west of Fort Vancouver once was a thriving community of Hudson's Bay employees. Often referred to as the "Kanaka Village", the community once housed 300 employees, with the majority being French-Canadians, Indians, Eupropeans, and Hawaiians.


Chief Factor's House ...

Image, 2004, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Chief Factor's House, Fort Vancouver, Washington. Image taken March 7, 2004.

"... At one end is Dr. M'Laughlin's house, built after the model of the French Canadian, of one story, weather-boarded and painted white. It has a piazza and small flower-beds, with grape and other vines, in front. ..."    [Wilkes, 1841]
Image, 2006, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Front outside, Chief Factor's House, Fort Vancouver, Washington. Grapes cover the front porch. Image taken August 27, 2006.

"... Between the steps are two old cannons on sea-carriages, with a few shot, to spead defiance to the natives, who no doubt look upon them as very formidable weapons of destruction. Imention these, as they are the only warlike instruments to my knowledge that are within the pickets of Vancouver, which differs from all the other forts in having no bastions, galleries, or loop-holes. ..."    [Wilkes, 1841]
Image, 2006, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Cannons, Chief Factor's House, Fort Vancouver, Washington. Image taken August 27, 2006.
Image, 2006, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Cannon, Chief Factor's House, Fort Vancouver, Washington. Image taken August 27, 2006.
Image, 2006, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Front porch, Chief Factor's House, Fort Vancouver, Washington. Grapes cover the front porch. Image taken August 27, 2006.


Around the Fort ...

Image, 2006, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Information, Fort Vancouver, Washington. Image taken August 27, 2006.
Image, 2006, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		At compound entrance, Fort Vancouver, Washington. Fur storage building is in the background. Image taken August 27, 2006.
Image, 2006, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Indian Trade-Dispensary Store from the Chief Factor's House, Fort Vancouver, Washington. Blacksmith's Shop is partially visible on the left. Image taken August 27, 2006.
Image, 2006, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Indian Trade-Dispensary Store, Fort Vancouver, Washington. Image taken August 27, 2006.
Image, 2006, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Barclay Quarters, Indian Trade-Dispensary Store, Fort Vancouver, Washington. Image taken August 27, 2006.

"... on June 4, 1839, Forbes Barclay entered the service of the Hudson's Bay Company in the dual capacity of clerk and surgeon and was placed on the list of those awaiting assignment. That fall he sailed in the Columbia for Fort Vancouver, where he arrived in the spring of 1840. Relieving Dr. W.F. Tolmie, Barclay at once went to work in the Indian Trade Shop and in the medical department. He served with distinction both as fur trader and physician until he retired from the Company's employ during 1850. He then moved to Oregon City, became an American citizen, and was prominent in professional and political affairs until his death in 1873." [U.S. National Park Service, Fort Vancouver Historic Site, 2016]
Image, 2006, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Beds, Indian Trade-Dispensary Store, Fort Vancouver, Washington. Image taken August 27, 2006.
Image, 2006, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Fur Storage Building, Fort Vancouver, Washington. Image taken August 27, 2006.
Image, 2006, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Inside Fur Storage, Fort Vancouver, Washington. Image taken August 27, 2006.
Image, 2006, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Inside Fur Storage, Fort Vancouver, Washington. Image taken August 27, 2006.
Image, 2006, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Inside Kitchen, Fort Vancouver, Washington. Image taken August 27, 2006.
Image, 2006, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Kitchen, making soup, Fort Vancouver, Washington. Image taken August 27, 2006.
Image, 2006, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Inside Kitchen, Fort Vancouver, Washington. Image taken August 27, 2006.
Image, 2006, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Inside Kitchen, Fort Vancouver, Washington. Image taken August 27, 2006.
Image, 2006, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Bakehouse Ovens, Fort Vancouver, Washington. Image taken August 27, 2006.
Image, 2006, New Office, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		"New Office", Fort Vancouver, Washington. Tall belfry is behind the "New Office" and ??? is building on the right. Image taken August 27, 2006.
Image, 2006, New Office, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Interior "New Office", Fort Vancouver, Washington. Image taken August 27, 2006.
Image, 2006, New Office, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		"New Office" door, Fort Vancouver, Washington. Image taken August 27, 2006.
Image, 2006, New Office, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		"New Office" (left) and Jail (right), Fort Vancouver, Washington. Image taken August 27, 2006.
Image, 2006, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Well, Fort Vancouver, Washington. Grape-vine covered Chief Factor's House is on the left and the Wash House is behind the well. Image taken August 27, 2006.
Image, 2006, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Sundial, Fort Vancouver, Washington. The Interstate-5 Bridge is in the background. Image taken August 27, 2006.
Image, 2006, Palisade and Bastion, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Palisade and Bastion, Fort Vancouver, Washington. Image taken August 27, 2006.

The Palisade was expanded at least five times. By 1845 the palisade enclosed an area 734 feet by 318 feet, and was built of 15-feet-high Douglas fir posts. The Bastion was built in 1845 and used to protect against threats and to fire salutes to ships.
Image, 2006, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Chief Factor's House from the Indian Trade-Dispensary Store, Fort Vancouver, Washington. Image taken August 27, 2006.
Image, 2006, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Flag, Hudson's Bay Company, Fort Vancouver, Washington. Image taken August 27, 2006.


The Garden and Orchard ...

Image, 2006, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Garden, Fort Vancouver, Washington. Image taken August 27, 2006.

During Fort Vancouver times nearly 2,500 acres were fenced and under cultivation with peas, oats, barley, wheat, and vegetables. The orchard included apples, pears, peaches, plums, and cherries. Livestock consited of cattle, horses, sheep, hogs, and goats.
Image, 2006, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Garden, Fort Vancouver, Washington. Image taken August 27, 2006.
Image, 2006, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Garden flowers, Fort Vancouver, Washington. Image taken August 27, 2006.
Image, 2017, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Tulips, Fort Vancouver, Washington. Image taken April 21, 2017.
Image, 2017, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Bastion and Orchards, Fort Vancouver, Washington. Image taken April 21, 2017.

The orchard included apples, pears, peaches, plums, and cherries.
Image, 2006, Orchard, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Apple tree, Fort Vancouver, Washington. Image taken August 27, 2006.


The Museum ...
On the eastern edge of the Vancouver Barrack's Parade Grounds is a museum, displaying artifacts and history of the Fort Vancouver area.
[More]

Image, 2011, Fort Vancouver, Museum, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Museum dislplays, Fort Vancouver Museum, Vancouver, Washington. Image taken August 2, 2011.


The Stockade ...

Image, 2017, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		View through the stockade, Fort Vancouver, Washington. View of the "new office". Image taken April 21, 2017.
Image, 2017, Fort Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Stockade, Fort Vancouver, Washington. Image taken April 21, 2017.


The Village ...
The fields west of Fort Vancouver once was a thriving community of Hudson's Bay employees. Often referred to as the "Kanaka Village" or "Company Village", the community once housed 300 employees, with the majority being French-Canadians, Indians, Eupropeans, and Hawaiians.
[More]

Image, 2011, Fort Vancouver, Kanaka Village, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Information Sign, Fort Vancouver, Washington. Image taken August 2, 2011.


Sawmills and Gristmills ...
Seven miles upstream of Fort Vancouver was the location of the Hudson Bay Company's sawmills, now the location of the Vancouver Trout Hatchery and the Columbia Springs Environmental Education Center. Another 2 miles upstream was the Fort's gristmill, near the location of today's Image, Washington.
[More]

Image, 2011, Fort Vancouver, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Hudson's Bay Company Sawmills sign, Vancouver, Washington. Image taken July 25, 2008.


Waterfront Park ...
Vancouver's Waterfront Park is located at the east end of the Interstate 5 Bridge and is along Vancouver's Waterfront Renaissance Trail. The park is a part of the Fort Vancouver Historic Site and is approximately five acres with park benches and viewing platforms and provides excellent views of the Columbia River and the Oregon shore.
[More]

Image, 2007, Waterfront Park, Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Waterfront Park, Vancouver, Washington. Image taken April 5, 2007.


From the Journals of Lewis and Clark ...

Clark, November 4, 1805 ...




Clark, March 30, 1806 ...



Vancouver PlainsReturn to
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*River Miles [RM] are approximate, in statute miles, and were determined from USGS topo maps, obtained from NOAA nautical charts, or obtained from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers website, 2003

Sources:
  • Alley, B.F., and Munro-Fraser, J.P., 1885, History of Clarke County, Washington Territory: compiled from the most authentic sources: also biographical sketches of its pioneers and prominent citizens, Portland, Oregon;
  • Early Canadiana Online website, 2006, 2007;
  • Gray, W.H., 1870, A history of Oregon, 1792-1849, drawn from personal observation and authentic information;
  • National Libary of Canada and National Archives of Canada website, 2005, Canadian Institute of Historical Microreproductions;
  • National Register of Historic Places website, 2005;
  • NOAA Office of Coast Surveys website, 2005;
  • Parker, Rev. S., A.M., 1838, Journal of an Exploring Tour Beyond the Rocky Mountains, Under the Direction of the A.B.C.F.M. Performed in the Years 1835, '36, and '37, ..., published by the Author, Ithaca, N.Y.;
  • Palmer, J., Journal of Travels over the Rocky Mountains to the mouth of the Columbia River, made during the years 1845 and 1846, IN: Thwaites, R.G., Early Western Travels, 1748-1846;
  • Schafer, J., (editor), 1909, "Documents Relative to Warre and Vavasour's Military Reconnoissance in Oregon, 1845-6", The Quarterly of the Oregon Historical Society, March 1909, Vol.X, No.1.;
  • U.S. GenWeb Project website, 2006, "History of the Pacific Northwest, Oregon and Washington, 1889, Vol.1";
  • U.S. National Park Service website, 2004, 2010, 2011, Fort Vancouver National Historic Site;
  • Washington State's Secretary of State website, 2007;


All Lewis and Clark quotations from Gary Moulton editions of the Lewis and Clark Journals, University of Nebraska Press, all attempts have been made to type the quotations exactly as in the Moulton editions, however typing errors introduced by this web author cannot be ruled out; location interpretation from variety of sources, including this website author.
/Regions/Places/fort_vancouver.html
February 2017