Fort Vancouver
© Jerri Booker
FORT VANCOUVER
Standing on the grounds of Fort Vancouver, Washington today I feel the spirits of the past beside me. I look around and envision what the fort used to be. It's an easy task, as much of the fort has been reconstructed and stands just as it did when traders of the Hudson's Bay Company in London established it in 1824. It was eventually moved closer to the Columbia River in 1829 to better accommodate the fur trade.
As the headquarters of the Pacific Northwest fur-trading empire it was touted as "the grand mart and rendezvous for the Company's trade and servants on the Pacific." Imagine the parade of furniture, men, supplies and furs that traveled to the fort when it was opened. They were shipped by ferry.
Fort Description and Christening
Trapezoidal-shaped, the original fort was 750 by 450 feet with a 20-foot high perimeter. There were twelve-pound cannons at the bastion at the northwest corner with the front door at the southeast gate providing a grand entrance to the Chief Factor's house. That entire structure still stands today, parts of it restored the way it used to be.
Christened with a bottle of rum by Governor Simpson on March 19, 1825, it got a grand start under the helm of Chief Factor John McLoughlin who commanded the fort for 20 years. It wasn't until 1846 the land became Oregon Territory and eventually, Vancouver, Washington.
Army Influence
In 1849 the US Army occupied the fort and lived alongside the Hudson's Bay Company folks. This arrangement continued until 1860. The soldiers built barracks near the original fort and named it US Post Columbia Barracks. The name reverted to Fort Vancouver in 1853. A lot of the area still stands today, including Ulysses S. Grant's house.
There's an interesting story about Grant. He was a fort captain here in 1853 and was very into gardening. He couldn't afford to bring his wife and young son to live with him, so he envisioned a garden whereby he could profit from the harvest to earn their fare.
