Ft Vancouver, Vancouver, Washington

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Wow, can’t believe it’s August already!!

We met Judie and Grant at a place called BJ’s for dinner, food was really good and we got to spend another evening with good friends!

Friday, August 2, 2013

We finally got off of our lazy butts today and did a little site seeing! We drove over to Vancouver and visited the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. A special note here, when it comes to history or historical places, I always use the facts provided in the brochures.

In the early 19^th century, the U.S. and Britain were locked in a struggle for control of the Pacific Northwest. Fur trade, especially beaver, was at it’s peak, so by 1818 the two nations had agreed to share access to the region, known by then as the Oregon Country, until they could decide on a boundary. Seven years later, in a bold move to anchor Britain’s claim to all of the Oregon Country, the Hudson’s Bay Company—the giant fur trading organization—moved its Columbia department headquarters from Fort George at the mouth of the Columbia to the newly established Fort Vancouver,

100 miles upstream. For the next two decades Ft Vancouver was the fur trade capital of the Pacific Northwest.

By the 1830’s and 40’s, American settlers were attracted to the rich farm lands of Oregon’s Willamette Valley. By 1849 the influx of Americans resulted in a division of the Oregon Country along the 49^th Parallel, a decision that left Ft Vancouver on American Soil. For a few years, the Hudson’s Bay Company traded with the settlers and Indians, but trade eventually diminished and the Company moved out in 1860. By 1866 fires and decay had destroyed all the structures

Today’s Fort Vancouver structures are reconstructions.

Starting in 1947, archeologists have excavated the site of the original fort, recovering almost two million artifacts. Study of these objects and documentary material formed the basis for the reconstructions.

With all of the budget crunches happening to the National Parks Service, they are relying heavily on volunteers to work the gift shops and act as guides through the buildings and displays. There are over 380 parks in the National Parks system and I worry about what is going to happen to the Parks if their budgets are continually cut.  Are these national treasures going to be around for the enjoyment of all for the next generation?