Fort Nisqually facts for kids

Fort Nisqually Granary
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
Location in Washington (state)
Location	Point Defiance Park Tacoma, Washington
Area	726 square feet
NRHP reference No.	70000647
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	April 15, 1970
Designated NHL	April 15, 1970

Fort Nisqually was a very important place for fur trading and farming. It was run by the Hudson's Bay Company, a big British company. The fort was first built in what is now DuPont, Washington.

Today, Fort Nisqually is a living history museum. It is located in Tacoma, Washington, inside Point Defiance Park. Two of its original buildings, the Fort Nisqually Granary and the Factor's House, were moved to this park. The Granary was built in 1843. It is the oldest building in Washington state. It is also a U.S. National Historic Landmark. These two buildings are the only ones left from the Hudson's Bay Company in the United States.

Building the Fort

The Hudson's Bay Company was growing. It wanted to expand its business to the west coast. So, it created the Columbia District. This district managed all its operations in what was then called the Oregon Country. The company built forts in places where many fur-gathering tribes lived.

Fort Vancouver was built in 1824 near the Columbia River. Fort Langley was built in 1827 on the Fraser River. Soon, a shortcut route called the Cowlitz Portage was made. This linked the two forts. After an incident where people were harmed on this route, a fort was needed halfway between for safety.

The new spot was Nisqually. It was chosen because ships could anchor there easily. It was also good for overland travel. The local tribes were friendly. And the land was flat, perfect for animals and crops.

In April 1832, a small warehouse called Nisqually House was built. It was 15 by 20 feet. Only three men stayed there to manage supplies. This was the first European trading post on the Puget Sound.

A Permanent Fort

One year later, in May 1833, Chief Trader Archibald McDonald came back. He brought William Fraser Tolmie and seven men. They started building a permanent fort. Tolmie stayed there for a year. He wrote many things about the area.

The men depended on nearby Native villages for food. They could not find much game to hunt. Relationships with local Indigenous people grew stronger. The fort's officers met with Chief Gray Head of the Steilacooms in 1833. Trading also began with the nearby Puyallup tribe and the S'Klallams.

How the Fort Worked

Many different people worked at Fort Nisqually. These included Scottish gentlemen, Native Americans, Hawaiian Kanakas, French-Canadians, Métis, people from the West Indies, Englishmen, and later, some Americans.

Fort Nisqually grew from a small trading post into a major international trading center. It was not a military fort, but it was very important. The main item traded was beaver pelts. These were used to make top hats. Over time, the fort collected about 5,000 beaver furs. They also collected furs from muskrats, raccoons, and river otters.

Farming and Livestock

In 1840, a company called the Pugets Sound Agricultural Company (PSAC) was started. It was a part of the Hudson's Bay Company. Its job was to provide goods to the Russian-American Company. Fort Nisqually and Cowlitz Farm became part of this new company. But Hudson's Bay Company staff still ran them.

In 1841, many Métis families from the Red River colony were hired. They became farmers and ranchers for the PSAC. Fourteen families traveled overland to Fort Vancouver. They chose Fort Nisqually as their new home. In 1843, the fort was moved closer to Edmonds Marsh and Sequalitchew Creek. This gave them better access to water and wood.

Fort Nisqually began to export animals and crops. They sent them to Russian Alaska, the Kingdom of Hawaii, and Alta California. By 1845, they had over 2,000 cattle. These cattle supplied many Hudson's Bay Company forts. The fort also had large sheep herds. By 1845, there were almost 6,000 sheep.

William Fraser Tolmie managed the PSAC from 1843 to 1857. He oversaw the farming and ranching projects from Fort Nisqually. He was in charge when the area changed from British to American control in 1846. This happened because of the Oregon Treaty. Tolmie was well-respected. He kept good relationships with the British, Indigenous peoples, and American settlers.

What the Fort Looked Like

In 1843, a Catholic missionary named Jean Bolduc described the fort. He said it had:

• Walls made of fir logs, about eighteen feet high.
• The walls enclosed a space 150 feet on each side.
• There was a small, unarmed tower at each of the four corners.
• Inside, there was a house for the manager.
• There was also a store for trading furs.
• Several small buildings housed the workers and travelers.

Changes After the Oregon Treaty

The Oregon Treaty of 1846 set the border between British North America and the United States. The border was at the 49th parallel. This meant Fort Nisqually was now on American land.

American settlers began arriving in the 1850s. They came to claim land. These settlers often depended on Fort Nisqually for food and supplies. They traded their farm goods for what they needed.

However, some American settlers tried to take parts of the fort's land. In 1851, there were 28 attempts to take land. Two years later, this jumped to 50 incidents. The fort's animals were also targeted. An officer reported in 1854 that Americans were "constantly about the plains killing our beef."

With less fur trade and more problems from American settlers, Fort Nisqually closed in 1869. A former employee, Edward Huggins, became an American citizen. He took over the site as his own home.

Fort Managers

Restoring the Fort

The restored Fort Nisqually blockhouse at Point Defiance Park.

In the 1930s, people decided to rebuild Fort Nisqually. It would be in a new place: Point Defiance Park in Tacoma, Washington. This is about 15 miles from the original fort. The rebuilding was part of President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal program. This program created jobs during the Great Depression. The WPA and the Tacoma Businessmen's Association helped fund this effort.

Only two original buildings, the granary and the factor's house, were moved. The other buildings had fallen apart and were not moved to Point Defiance. In 1970, the Fort Nisqually Granary was named a National Historic Landmark.

Fort Nisqually Today

Today, the restored Fort Nisqually is a living history museum. Employees and volunteers run it. Two of the original buildings are still there: the Factor's House and the Granary.

The museum also has:

• A trade store
• A working blacksmith shop
• A house where laborers lived
• A demonstration kitchen
• A kitchen garden

Fort Nisqually has been changed recently to look more like it did in the past. The Factor's House was restored. The two original 1830s towers were moved and restored. Also, part of the wall around the fort looks like the wall from 1847.

In 1988–89, archaeologists studied the fort site. They found hundreds of old items. These items helped them learn more about the fort's history. Much research has also been done using old journals and letters from Edward Huggins. Huggins was a clerk for the Hudson's Bay Company. He arrived in 1850. He later became an American citizen. He lived on the land until he died in 1906. Metro Parks Tacoma manages the restored fort today.

The first fort location (from 1833) is now part of The Home Course golf course in DuPont. The second location (from 1843), where the buildings now at Point Defiance were, is owned by The Archaeological Conservancy. The DuPont Historical Society manages it. It is usually closed to the public. However, it opens for the Fort Nisqually celebration each year. Logs show where the original walls were. No buildings are left there. The only visible things from the original fort are some black locust trees planted in the 1850s. The DuPont History Museum has information about the fort and items from the Hudson's Bay Company.

See also

• List of the oldest buildings in Washington (state)