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. At the height of operations, Fort Nisqually had over 3,000 sheep, 10,000 head of cattle, and 300 horses. 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.
Necessary
According to the Museum:
“Without indoor plumbing, outbuildings called privies or ‘necessaries’ were built a short way away from living quarters giving people a sanitary way to take care of personal needs.”
Small dugout canoe
Clerk’s House
The clerks at Fort Nisqually had their own dwelling house which also contained an office and occasionally functioned to house visitors. Today, this building serves a the Fort’s volunteer center.
The Orchard
The residents of Fort Nisqually enjoyed apples, pears, and plums, grown from seeds brought from England. Apple trees were first planted in 1834.
Field Crops
By the 1840s, Fort Nisqually’s primary business was raiding livestock and field crops.
The Garden
This is next to the kitchen area inside the fort.
Cats
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