In 1825, the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) established Fort Vancouver on the Columbia River as its primary trading for the inland Northwest. The fort is located 100 miles above the mouth of the Columbia River in what is now Washington. The new location was intended to let them control the fur trade with the Indian nations in the Columbia Basin. The Company brought in Métis and Iroquois from Canada as well as Kanakas from Hawaii. The new post was described as a “cedar castle.”
As was common at most HBC trading posts and factories, planting a garden was one of the first activities at the new post. By the 1840s, at the height of HBC power in the region, the garden covered eight acres and provided produce as well as large numbers of flowering plants, shrubs, and fruit trees for the fort’s residents and visitors. According to the National Park Service:
“The large gardening operation was symbolic of the power that HBC exerted over the entire region and was representative of their extensive agricultural enterprises.”
Fort Vancouver today is operated by the National Park Service and a small, interpretive representation of the larger historic garden is maintained by a dedicated group of staff and volunteers. The garden contains heirloom fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers to give a feel for the abundance that was once here. Photographs of the garden follow.