The Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) was given a royal charter by the British Crown in 1670 which provided it with a trading monopoly over a vast domain in Canada. By the nineteenth Century, HBC had extended its empire into the Pacific Northwest. In 1825, HBC established Fort Vancouver on the Columbia River as the administrative center and principal supply depot of the Columbia Department, an area of about 700,000 square miles. Fort Vancouver has been part of the National Park System since 1948.
Shown above is the Surgeon’s Quarters and the Indian Trade Store.
Another view of the Surgeon’s Quarters and the Indian Trade Store.
While most of the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) working class employees and their families lived outside the stockade walls, company officers, such as the post surgeon and his family, lived within the stockade. The surgeon’s quarters also served as the surgeon’s workplace.
Shown above is Dr. Forbes Barclay who served as the post surgeon from 1840 until 1850. Born in Scotland, he received his medical degree in London in 1838.
The display describes the surgeon’s duties:
“He prepared, packaged and dispensed medicines for this fort and the two dozen other forts in the Columbia Department, and operated the two hospitals at the post. In addition to expected levels of sickness and accident, the post surgeon contended with large-scale seasonal outbreaks of ‘fever and argue’—likely malaria—that killed many American Indians and debilitated the fort’s workforce.”
In addition to his medical and health-related duties, the surgeon also managed the Indian Trade Shop, recorded weather phenomena, obtained scientific specimens of plants, animals, and minerals for HBC officers and scientists in Great Britain, and managed the post’s library.
Museums 101
Museums 101 is a series of photo tours of different museum exhibits. More from this series:
Museums 101: Japanese glass fishing floats (photo diary)
Museums 101: The Great Depression (photo diary)
Museums 101: The Big House at Fort Vancouver (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: The Whalen Homestead Cabin (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: Quilts (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: The Churches of Fort Steele (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: Old Time Education (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: Homestead Cabin and Barn (Photo Diary)