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Fort Vancouver National Historic Site

A View Of The Grounds From A Window In The Bastion, Fort Vancouver National Historic Site

A view from a somewhat spotted window of the Bastion looking out onto the grounds of Fort Vancouver National Historic Site.

According to the National Park Service, "In the northwest corner of Fort Vancouver's protective palisade wall, a three-story tower called a bastion or blockhouse rose above the surrounding plain. From the top, Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) employees could keep watch over the Columbia River valley and its gently rolling hills. The bastion was a common feature of HBC posts throughout North America.

Rebecca Latson

Photography In The National Parks: Always Be A National Parks Traveler

Contributing photographer and writer Rebecca Latson has spent the past 11 years with the National Parks Traveler, writing about tips and techniques for getting the best national park photos – no matter what camera you use. In her final article for the Traveler before it goes dark on December 31, 2023, Rebecca recaps some of those tips and techniques.

Fort Vancouver National Historic Site: A Destination Along The Way To Your Destination

If you find yourself on the west side of Washington state, heading up the I-5 Corridor toward your intended destination of one of Washington’s three national parks, you should consider stopping for a day, or even just a half day, at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site to soak in a little history and a look back into Washington’s fur trading and aviation pasts.

A Bountiful Garden, Fort Vancouver National Historic Site

Pathways radiate from a central clearing in the formal, symmetrical garden. Bright flowers direct the view to the fort at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site.

At Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, "an interpretive garden was planted in 1974 to the north of the fort reconstruction. Although its location and size are not historic, it is in the general location of the historic garden and planted with historically-appropriate species. The garden helps to convey the general agricultural character of the site during the HBC era. The traditional English-style garden has geometric plant beds arranged symmetrically along a central walkway.

National Park Service

"Survive And Thrive" Program Highlights Survival Skills Of The 1800s

Survive and Thrive: Lifeways of the Fur Trade, a free summer program at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site in Oregon and Washington state, will combine hands-on history lessons with outdoor skill-building to immerse visitors in the 1840s experience. The program will be led by National Park Service rangers with knowledge of survival skills as well as the skills common to the 19th century fur trade. Although weighted towards use for living history re-enactors, these skills are useful for anybody who spends time outdoors hiking, camping, hunting, or fishing.

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