Fort Nisqually was established by the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC), a London-based fur trading company, on Puget Sound in present-day Washington state in 1833. Fort Nisqually was intended to trade with the Southern Coast Salish Indians. By 1839, the fur trade had declined and the Puget Sound Agricultural Company (PSCAC) was established at Fort Nisqually to raise cattle, sheep, and horses along with crops such as wheat, oats, barley, and peas on the 160,000 acres of land claimed by the company. In 1855, HBC sold its holdings to the United States government.
The Fort Nisqually Living History Museum is a reconstruction of the fort which was started in the 1930s by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Two of the fort’s original structures—the Factor’s House and the Granary—were moved from the original site of the fort to the museum. The museum gives visitors a glimpse of life in the fort in 1855.
The kitchen provided meals for the workers who lived at Fort Nisqually. Prior to 1854, cooking was done over fires and in bake ovens. In 1854, Fort Nisqually acquired an American cook stove which was large enough to cook for a dozen people.
The Oven
The Root Cellar
The root cellar kept food cool during the hot summer months and kept it from freezing during the winter.
The Smokehouse
Smokehouses preserved meat such as beef and pork, prepared during the cooler months, for people to eat throughout the year. According to the Museum:
“Meat spoils due to bacteria, which needs moisture to grow. Salting and then smoking the meat dries it out and removes moisture. Properly preserved meat can keep for months or even years with refrigeration.”
More museums
Fort Nisqually: The Granary (photo diary)
Museums 101: The Bake House at Fort Vancouver (Photo Diary)
Willamette Heritage Center: The Boon House (photo diary)
Museums 101: The Miller Lumber Sawmill (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: Homestead Cabin and Barn (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: The Anderson Homestead (Photo Diary)
Carillon Historical Park: Horse Barn (photo diary)
Ohio Village: Bicycle shop (photo diary)
Museums 101: The Swan River Tavern (Photo Diary)
