Book Your Stay at a Hotel Near Fort Vancouver

The one-time administrative center and main supply depot for the Hudson's Bay fur trading company in the Columbia Department. The fort was a center of political, cultural, and commercial activity in the Pacific Northwest. History buffs will want to check out Fort Vancouver for sure.

Background. Fort Vancouver was an outpost during the period of western expansion between the 1820s and 1840s. It was a commercial and supply center for the regional fur trade, so vital to the northwest’s economy in the mid-19th century. The fort was named after a British explorer, Captain George Vancouver.

Headed by Dr. John McLoughlin, the Hudson’s Bay Company at Fort Vancouver was a key player in the settlement of the northwest. With Fort Vancouver as its center of operations, the Hudson's Bay Company controlled commercial territory ranging over present-day British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, western Montana and the Hawaiian Islands.

The site was designated a National Historic Monument in 1948. In 1961 it was expanded and renamed Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. The site is administered by the National Park Service.

The National Park Service has recently begun hosting ranger-led Lantern Tours at Fort Vancouver. Visitors can experience Fort Vancouver at night. Adults carrying lanterns follow a park ranger through the Counting House, Fur Store, Kitchen, Chief Factors House and Bake House. You’ll find out what sorts of things went on at the fort after sundown. Hot cider is available afterwards, with a Q&A session. Tours, held twice monthly, run through February. Admission is $10 for adults and $7 for children, and reservations are required.
Telephone: 360-816-6230