Vancouver Barracks | The Columbian

Fort Vancouver smartphone app brings history to life

The National Park Service is entrusted with telling the stories of America’s most historic places. Now a Vancouver-based collaboration is pioneering a new way to share that history through the people who lived it — people like William Kaulehelehe.

Armed forces center ready for review

New facility replaces Army’s post at Vancouver Barracks

The first time the U.S. Army opened a post in Vancouver, it meant a five-month march that covered more than 2,000 miles.

Pulling out of the Barracks

After 162 years, Army leaves Vancouver base, which will be part of National Park Service

An era ended at midnight Wednesday when military operations ceased at Vancouver Barracks. After 162 years as a U.S. Army base during some defining periods of American history, the barracks site is preparing for a new role. It is destined to become part of the National Park Service, which operates the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site.

Vancouver Freedom Walk draws crowd to remember 9/11

About 150 people gathered Sunday morning in Vancouver for the first Freedom Walk in memory of the attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C. on Sept. 11, 2001.

New downtown library opens Sunday

Five years after voters approved a construction bond measure, the $38 million Vancouver Community Library debuts Sunday with a festive grand opening. A block party on C Street will detour vehicle traffic until late afternoon.

Back together at the brigade encampment

History fans re-create a day of 1844 at Fort Vancouver

Asher Webb learned a valuable lesson about reading the fine print Saturday. After inking his name — one letter at a time — to the bottom of a contract, he was reminded by fort official David Douglas and his son Andrew that the next two years of the boy’s life belonged to the Hudson’s Bay Company. Asher quickly reconsidered. After all, two years is a big part of your life when you’re only 6.

Veteran honors soldiers as a ‘name-keeper’

Former chief of U.S. Army casualty operations focuses now on local war memorial

This is a weekend to salute our servicemen who died in the line of duty, and to honor the families of the fallen. It’s what Richard Landis did every day for almost four years. The Clark County veteran was chief of the U.S. Army’s casualty operations center from 1984 to 1987, and was called back to duty for the first Gulf War.

Barracks renovation is chance to see old construction

When Kevin Kowitz learned his construction company would do the Artillery Barracks renovation in Vancouver, Kowitz decided to get out of the front office and head for a job site again. “I’ve been in management, and I wanted to do a historic building,” said Kowitz, the job superintendent for Payne Construction in Portland. “It’s not every day you get to work on a 107-year-old building.”

Will Post Hospital make an artful transition?

Representatives of arts community discuss potential uses for building

Almost a century ago, the hospital at Vancouver Barracks helped 20,500 patients recover from the Spanish flu.

Off Beat: Newlyweds’ practical joke takes the cake, out of their mouths

After 70 years, a Vancouver bride and groom finally got to enjoy their slices of wedding cake. And the policeman who interrupted the proceedings this time was packing a pardon.

Vancouver ceremony salutes Pearl Harbor survivors

Veterans recall where they were on ‘day that will live in infamy’

Rich Hatton was headed to breakfast aboard the USS Worden when he saw all the fancy flying going on in the sky over Pearl Harbor. As Hatton saw planes swoop and dive and skim the water, “I couldn’t imagine what our Air Force was doing,” he said.

Vancouver man was aboard USS California during Pearl Harbor attack

When America went to war 69 years ago, John Leach fought the opening battle in his underwear. Leach was aboard the USS California when Japanese warplanes targeted Pearl Harbor’s “Battleship Row” on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941.

Survivors of Pearl Harbor to gather

Commemoration to be held inside at Vancouver Barracks

Sixty-nine years ago, they were young sailors, soldiers and Marines enjoying a weekend morning in a Hawaiian paradise. The next moment, they were fighting for their lives as that paradise exploded all around them — and in some cases, blew up under their feet.

Code Talker to deliver Veterans Day message

Navajo who served in WWII to speak at local ceremony

David Patterson, who turned his native Navajo tongue into a secret weapon during World War II, will be the guest speaker Thursday at Vancouver’s Veterans Day observance. Patterson was one of about 400 Navajos who joined the U.S. Marines and were used as communication specialists in the war in the Pacific.

Off Beat: Helping kids with homework boosts couple’s citizenship bid

The journey to citizenship was a family project for some newly minted Americans. When the National Park Service teamed up with immigration authorities earlier this month for their first naturalization ceremony in Vancouver, some husband-and-wife pairs and at least one father-son combination raised their right hands together to take the oath of allegiance.

The Columbian | Serving Clark County, Washington

Rediscovering Vancouver Barracks

▶ Tour the barracks buildings