Fort Vancouver National Historic Site

Fort Vancouver National Historic Site in Vancouver, Washington, preserves a 19th-century Hudson’s Bay Company trading post and the wider grounds around it. Inside the reconstructed stockade, you can explore buildings such as the Chief Factor’s House and Counting House, with costumed interpreters demonstrating work and daily life. Outside, follow paths past historic homes and gardens, or walk the bridge trail to learn about native plants. Pearson Air Museum is also on site and free to visit, so you can pair the fort’s fur-trade history with the area’s aviation past.

A Hudson’s Bay Company trading post

Fort Vancouver began as a fur-trading post in the early 19th century and became a center of commercial and political activity in the Pacific Northwest. The Hudson’s Bay Company operated from the fort, and when American immigrants arrived in the Oregon Country during the 1830s and 1840s, it supplied goods for new settlements.

The reconstructed stockade gives you a sense of how the post was arranged. Buildings include the Chief Factor’s House and Counting House, along with spaces that represent work, trade and life inside the fort. Costumed interpreters explain the activities that took place there and the different people involved in the fur trade.

Interpreters, gardens and the wider grounds

The interpreters bring the buildings to life with demonstrations and explanations. Depending on the day or event, you might see work such as blacksmithing or a demonstration in the kitchen. Special events can have more stations staffed in period costume, so check the site’s information before planning around a particular activity.

Beyond the stockade, the grounds include historic homes, barracks, open parkland and gardens. The garden outside the fort walls is free to explore and includes flowers and vegetables. Spring brings cherry blossoms and tulip trees; hydrangeas bloom around the historic buildings in summer. A walking bridge trail also introduces native plants.