Name: Fort Vancouver: A Historic Trade Post Of The Pacific Northwest
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Fort Vancouver: A Historic Trade Post Of The Pacific Northwest

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Now Playing:At one time in history, beaver fur was the object of global trade, made especially desirable because the felted skins were fashioned into men’s&nbsp;hats.&nbsp;“Those beaver hats were incredibly valuable. They were like having a Rolex watch today. It was a status symbol. And people would come 18,000 miles by sailing ship around the tip of South America through the Hawaiian Islands and wind up [in the Northwest] just to acquire those animal&nbsp;pelts.”Doug Wilson, Archaeologist National Park Service, Pacific West&nbsp;RegionIn the vanguard of the fur trade was a British business called the Hudson’s Bay Company. The HBC had an enormous reach, building trading posts throughout large swaths of North America. A company established by royal charter, the HBC also had a quasi-governmental role as a colonizing force on the&nbsp;continent.Stormy skies over Fort&nbsp;VancouverPhoto Courtesy of Beth&nbsp;HarringtonIn the 1820s, the executives of the HBC decided to build a post on the north bank of the Columbia River near the site of present-day Vancouver,&nbsp;Washington.Fort Vancouver would be the focal point of trade for what was called the Columbia Department which stretched from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific coast, north to Sitka, Alaska and south to what would become San&nbsp;Francisco.Heading up the Fort – the “Chief Factor” – was a man named Dr. John McLoughlin, who would have to contend not only with running a smooth operation for the HBC, but somehow maintaining a harmonious relationship with the tidal wave of American immigrants coming to the region on the Oregon&nbsp;Trail.NPS Ranger Scott Irvine portrays the life of a Hudson’s Bay Company steward in the kitchen of the Chief Factor’s House at Fort&nbsp;Vancouver.Photo Courtesy of Beth&nbsp;HarringtonIn addition, the Chief Factor would preside over a multicultural community unheard of at that time. Around the Fort, HBC employees numbered in the hundreds and represented over 30 tribal groups, as well as Scots, Irish, Orkney Islanders, French Canadians, mixed-race Métis people and&nbsp;Hawaiians.To communicate, a language based on a native trade jargon was utilized and eventually incorporated words from many of these cultures. “Chinook wawa” became the lingua franca of Fort Vancouver and the&nbsp;region.“Fort Vancouver” tells the engaging story of this place, its people and how they shaped the Pacific Northwest.&nbsp;&nbsp;Website&nbsp;ResourcesBooks&nbsp;&nbsp;Send Oregon Experience A MessageThanks to our Sponsors:In the 19th century, the voyageurs were people crucial to the fur trade.&nbsp; These French-Canadians moved animal pelts to and from trading posts like Fort Vancouver.&nbsp; They were expert outdoors men and greatly admired for their skill and unique culture.Young volunteer reenactors at Fort Vancouver do a typical dance one might have seen back in the day.Thanks to our Sponsors

Now Playing:At one time in history, beaver fur was the object of global trade, made especially desirable because the felted skins were fashioned into men’s&nbsp;hats.&nbsp;“Those beaver hats were incredibly valuable. They were like having a Rolex watch today. It was a status symbol. And people would come 18,000 miles by sailing ship around the tip of South America through the Hawaiian Islands and wind up [in the Northwest] just to acquire those animal&nbsp;pelts.”Doug Wilson, Archaeologist National Park Service, Pacific West&nbsp;RegionIn the vanguard of the fur trade was a British business...

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Beth Harrington

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Fort Vancouver: A Historic Trade Post Of The Pacific Northwest

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