Fort Vancouver National Historic Site

Development of Fort Vancouver by the Hudson's Bay Company from 1825 through 1846 was a seminal event in the history of the Pacific Northwest and lower Columbia River basin. The fort was an outpost of Western civilization during that period and functioned as a commerce and provisionary center for the lucrative fur trade throughout the Pacific Northwest. It was named in honor of the famous British sea explorer, Captain George Vancouver.

Under the leadership of Dr. John McLoughlin, the Hudson's Bay Company at Fort Vancouver played a central role in the European settlement of the Pacific Northwest. As the anchor to British claims in the Pacific Northwest, Fort Vancouver was at the center of competing interests between Great Britain and the United States. With Fort Vancouver as its regional headquarters, the Hudson's Bay Company controlled 34 forts and posts in a territory encompassing present-day British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, western Montana and the Hawaiian Islands. An 1835 visitor to the fort described it as "the New York of the Pacific."

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Part of Fort Vancouver

In the background is part of the "Interstate Bridge" over the Columbia River

The Interstate Bridge is a pair of nearly identical steel through truss bridges with a vertical lift that carries Interstate 5 traffic over the Columbia River between Vancouver, Washington and Portland, Oregon.

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Gardens at Fort Vancouver

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One of the buildings at Fort Vancouver

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One of the buildings at Fort Vancouver

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Well at Fort Vancouver

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One of the buildings at Fort Vancouver

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One of the buildings at Fort Vancouver

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One of the buildings at Fort Vancouver

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Cannons at Fort Vancouver

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