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 the1930s 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 sale shop carried a wide variety of merchandise for sale.
The lines on the end of Hudson Bay Blankets, called “points”, indicate the value of the blanket. The red blanket is a three and a half point blanket.
Shown above is a four point blanket.
Shown above is a press for making bundles of fur.
Shown above is a stack of shingles.
More museums
Fort Nisqually: The Granary (photo diary)
Fort Nisqually: The Kitchen area (photo diary)
Fort Nisqually: Men's Dwelling House (photo diary)
Museums 101: The Fort Vancouver Fur Warehouse (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: The Big House at Fort Vancouver (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: The Fort Vancouver Surgeon's Quarters (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: The Fort Vancouver Counting House (Photo Diary)
Fort Missoula: Noncommissioned Officer's Quarters (photo diary)