Fort Vancouver National Historic Site facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fort Vancouver National Historic Site |
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Illustration of Fort Vancouver and its environs in 1855
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| Location | Vancouver, Washington and Oregon City, Oregon, USA |
| Nearest city | Vancouver, Washington, and Oregon City, Oregon |
| Area | 207 acres (84 ha) |
| Established | June 19, 1948 (national monument) June 30, 1961 (national historic site) |
| Visitors | 710,439 (in 2011) |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
| Website | Fort Vancouver National Historic Site |
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site is a special place in the United States. It is located in the states of Washington and Oregon. This historic site has two main parts. One part is the old Fort Vancouver in modern-day Vancouver, Washington. The other part is the former home of John McLoughlin in Oregon City, Oregon. Both places were named national historic sites in the 1940s. The Fort Vancouver area became a National Historic Site in 1961. It was then combined with the McLoughlin House in 2003.
Contents
Start Your Visit: The Visitor Center
The visitor center at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site was built in 1966. It was part of a special program by the National Park Service called Mission 66. Today, the visitor center is run by both the National Park Service and the United States Forest Service.
In 2015, the building was updated. It now gives information for both Fort Vancouver National Historic Site and the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The center shows cool exhibits of old items found at the site. It also displays art from local Native American artists. There is a theater that plays two films. One film is about Fort Vancouver (25 minutes). The other is about Mount St. Helens (17 minutes).
Fort Vancouver: A Historic Trading Post
The main part of the site is Fort Vancouver. It is located in Vancouver, Washington, near Portland, Oregon. Fort Vancouver was a very important fur trading post. It was run by the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC). This company was a big fur trading business. The fort was started in 1824.
From 1824 to 1845, John McLoughlin was the main leader, called the Chief Factor. Fort Vancouver was the main office for the Hudson's Bay Company's fur trade on the Pacific Coast. Its influence reached from the Rocky Mountains to Alaska, south to California, and even to the Kingdom of Hawaii.
In 1846, the Oregon Treaty was signed. This treaty was between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the United States. It ended a long argument over the Oregon border. The treaty allowed the Hudson's Bay Company to keep working at Fort Vancouver. This was even though the fort was now in the Oregon Territory. On June 14, 1860, the Hudson's Bay Company left Fort Vancouver. They moved their operations to places in British Columbia, like Fort Victoria.
In 1849, the United States Army built the Vancouver Barracks next to the British trading post. The Army took over the fort when the Hudson's Bay Company left. A fire destroyed the original Hudson's Bay Company fort in 1866. But the Army base kept operating for many years.
Fort Vancouver became a national monument in 1948. This separated it from the Army barracks. In 1966, Congress made the protected area bigger. They also renamed it a National Historic Site. For a while, the National Park Service did not want to rebuild the fort walls or buildings. They wanted to keep it as an archaeological site. But in 1965, the local community asked for it. Congress then told them to start rebuilding. All the fort buildings you see today are new copies. But they are built exactly where the old ones stood.
The National Park Service also runs the Pearson Air Museum on the fort grounds. A special walking bridge was built in 2007. It goes over the Lewis and Clark Highway. This bridge connects the site to the Columbia River.
The McLoughlin House: A Pioneer's Home
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McLoughlin House National Historic Site
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 Location in Oregon City OR
Location in Oregon
Location in the United States
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| Location | McLoughlin Park, between 7th and 8th Sts., Oregon City, Oregon |
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| Area | 0.6 acres (0.24 ha) |
| Built | 1845 |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000637 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHS | 1941 |
The McLoughlin House part of the site includes two homes. One is the home of John McLoughlin. The other is the home of Dr. Forbes Barclay, who was an explorer and friend of McLoughlin. These homes are called the McLoughlin House and the Barclay House. They are right next to each other. They sit on a high piece of land, called a bluff. This bluff overlooks the Willamette River in Oregon City, Oregon. McLoughlin set aside this land for public use in the 1840s.
In 1846, McLoughlin left the Hudson's Bay Company. He bought land on the Willamette River in Oregon City. McLoughlin built his house there. He lived in it until he passed away in 1857. The house is a two-story colonial mansion. It looks like homes from the East Coast during that time.
After McLoughlin died in 1857, his wife lived there for three more years. Their family sold the house in 1867. In 1908, a paper mill that owned the land wanted to expand. The house was in danger of being torn down. But in 1909, people who wanted to save old buildings, called preservationists, saved it. They raised over $1,000. In 1910, the house was moved from the riverfront. It was placed on its current spot on the bluff. It stayed there for 25 years. Then, from 1935-1936, it was fixed up. This was done with help from the Civil Works Administration. It then opened as a museum.
The Barclay House was built in 1849. It was built by a carpenter named John L. Morrison. Dr. Barclay and his family lived there. Barclay died in 1874. His family owned the house until 1930. Then it was moved from the waterfront to its current spot. It is now next to the McLoughlin House. Today, the Barclay House has museum offices and a gift shop.
The McLoughlin House became a National Historic Site in 1941. Both homes were added to the National Park System in 2003. They became part of the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. The McLoughlin House is located on the Oregon National Historic Trail. This trail is part of the National Trails System. McLoughlin and his wife are buried on the property. The house has both original and old furniture from that time.
Pearson Air Museum: Flight History
The Pearson Air Museum opened in a historic airplane hangar in 1996. The museum and The Jack Murdock Aviation Center show the history of flying in the Vancouver area. They focus on Pearson Airfield. Today, the museum has several airplanes. One is a De Havilland DH-4 Liberty. It has been restored to look like a plane from the US Army Air Corps 321st Observation Squadron. This squadron was at Pearson Airfield in the 1930s.
In June 2018, volunteers from the National Park Service finished building a copy of Silas Christofferson's Curtis Pusher plane. The original plane was flown from the roof of the Multnomah Hotel in Portland, Oregon. It landed at what is now Pearson Airfield. The copy is now on display at the Pearson Air Museum. The museum also has exhibits about the US Army Spruce Production Division. You can also learn about the first flight over the North Pole. This flight landed in 1937 at Pearson Field. It came all the way from Moscow, Russia. Models of the Russian Tupolev ANT-25 plane from that flight are also on display.
Vancouver Barracks: A Military Past
Some parts of the Vancouver Barracks were given to the National Park Service in 2012. This happened when the US Army Reserve officially closed the post. The Army had been there since 1849.
The National Park Service website says: "While many of the buildings are closed to the public, signs throughout the barracks share the history of this military post."
Since 2012, the National Park Service has been fixing up the barracks buildings. They plan to use them for different purposes. Future users might include government groups, community groups, and businesses. The area might have a community center, offices, restaurants, and shops. There will also be a future museum space for the Vancouver Barracks. The Gifford Pinchot National Forest moved its main office to one of the renovated buildings in 2016. The United States Forest Service helps run the visitor center at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site.
Outdoor Fun: Recreation
A cross country running course is located at the site. The USA Cross Country Championships have even been held here.
Images for kids
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The master bedroom of the McLoughlin House
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Reconstructed buildings and palisade wall on the site of Fort Vancouver
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Children's beds in the Douglas apartment of the Chief Factor's House
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An illustration showing the layout of Fort Vancouver in 2003.
