Exploring Fort Vancouver

To explore the sweep of human history at Fort Vancouver is to grasp some of the essentials of the North American experience. The fort has been part of the major historical trends of the Pacific Northwest for over 150 years, from the effects of colonialism on native peoples to the role of the U.S. Army. Native Americans, traders, homesteaders, and soldiers lived and worked at the fort, their lives interwoven and their stories embedded in the objects they left behind. Exploring Fort Vancouver uses some of the most intriguing objects from the fort's extensive archaeological and archival collections to tell the history of technology, material culture, globalization, health and diet, and the National Park Service at this significant place.

"Exploring Fort Vancouver is a treasure." -Robert K. Sutton, chief historian, National Park Service

"Anyone who cares about the Columbia River, history, archaeology, or the struggles among indigenous, immigrant, merchant, and military peoples has to own this book. " -Julie K. Stein, author of Exploring Coast Salish Prehistory

Douglas C. Wilson is director of the Northwest Cultural Resources Institute and adjunct associate professor of anthropology at Portland State University. Theresa E. Langford is curator for the Northwest Cultural Resources Institute, Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, and Lewis and Clark National Historical Park.