The United States Lightship Columbia (WLV-604) is a historic vessel located in Astoria, Oregon. Columbia was commissioned in 1951 and was the fourth and final lightship stationed at the mouth of the Columbia River. Built at the Rice Brothers shipyard in Boothbay, Maine, Columbia was launched along with her sister ship Relief (WLV-605). The new ligh
Fort Vancouver
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Description
Fort Vancouver was a 19th-century fur trading post built in the winter of 1824–25. It was the headquarters of the Columbia Branch of the Hudson's Bay Company, located in the Pacific Northwest. Named after Captain George Vancouver, the fort was located on the north bank of the Columbia River in present-day Vancouver, Washington.
Trading Activities
The fort was a major center for the regional fur trade. Each year, trade goods and supplies from London arrived either on ships sailing to the Pacific Ocean or overland from Hudson Bay via the York Factory Express. Supplies and trade goods were exchanged with a variety of indigenous cultures for fur pelts. Furs from Fort Vancouver were often shipped to the Chinese port of Guangzhou, where they were exchanged for Chinese manufactured goods for sale in the United Kingdom. At its peak, Fort Vancouver controlled over 34 outposts, 24 ports, six ships, and 600 personnel.
Preservation and Restoration
Today, a full-scale replica of the fort and its interior buildings has been built on the site of Fort Vancouver and is open to the public as the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. The Hudson's Bay Company of London founded it as the headquarters of the company's inland fur trading operation. In the early 1820s, a general reorganization of all NWC holdings, now entirely under the control of the HBC, was carried out directly by Sir George Simpson. The newly created Columbia District needed a more suitable headquarters than Fort George at the mouth of the Columbia.
Significance and National Status
Because of its significance in the history of the United States, a plan was made to preserve the site. Fort Vancouver was declared a U.S. National Monument on June 19, 1948, and renamed Fort Vancouver National Historic Site on June 30, 1961. This was taken a step further in 1996, when an area of 366 acres (1.48 km²) around the fort, including Kanaka Village, Columbia Barracks, and the riverbank, was established as the Vancouver National Historic Preserve, maintained by the National Park Service.
Tourist Attractions
The fort can be toured. Notable buildings at the restored Fort Vancouver include a bakery where cracker-making techniques are demonstrated, a blacksmith shop, a carpenter's shop with its collection of carpentry tools, and a kitchen where daily meals were prepared.
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