Ft. Vancouver
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
The birthplace of the city of Vancouver – the first multicultural community in the Pacific Northwest – Fort Vancouver National Historic Site is the premier historical archaeological site in the Pacific Northwest.
Situated along the Columbia River, Fort Vancouver National Site’s 366-acre campus is the only national park site in the Vancouver/Portland metropolitan area. Historically an integral Northwest hub, the site interprets the stories of the Native Americans, the British Hudson’s Bay Company, the U.S. Army at Vancouver Barracks, early aviation at Pearson Field, the world’s largest spruce mill during World War I and the Kaiser Shipyards during World War II. Filled with multiple attractions, including Fort Vancouver, Pearson Air Museum and Officers Row, history is told through enriched community educational programs and world-class artifacts, connecting “what was” to the modern-day Pacific Northwest.
The National Park Service has an archaeological collection of 1.5 million artifacts excavated from this site. Enjoy the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site and Vancouver Barracks’ diverse history through ranger–led talks and walks, living history programs, special events, films and written information. The trail of Lewis & Clark’s Corps of Discovery flowed through the Historic Reserve. Today Fort Vancouver houses several reconstructed buildings that are furnished as they might have been in the middle of the 19th century.
