200 years of community: Fort Vancouver’s multicultural history highlighted during bicentennial events

One reason for that, he emphasized, is that the people who gathered here in the early 1800s to work, explore, raise families and live their lives were a markedly multicultural bunch, despite the fact that Fort Vancouver is known as the first white European settlement in the Pacific Northwest. The British Hudson’s Bay Company built the fort as its fur-trading headquarters. French-Canadian trappers as well as Scots and Irish gathered there. But many Polynesians, Metis and local tribal people also lived at the fort and in the surrounding worker village.

In those earliest days, there were no Americans here at all, said Mary Rose, executive director of the Friends of Fort Vancouver National Historic site. The most common language was French.

“It has been a multicultural community all along,” Ochoa said.

Today, the 166-acre Fort Vancouver campus includes many historic settlement and U.S. Army buildings as well as Pearson Field Airport, the oldest continuously operating airport in the Pacific Northwest. The fort draws tourists and locals who are interested in history and aviation, as well as just enjoying the greenery, the walking trails and the overall vibe. (The fort structure we know and love today is a historical replica built in the 1970s.)

“It’s a greenspace and a place where people go for recreation, and that’s great. Every connection adds to the sense of community,” Ochoa said. “It’s also a place to we want to emphasize the rediscovery of history.”

Ochoa said he remembers visiting Fort Vancouver as a fourth-grader. History wasn’t on his radar then, he said. He just loved the place because it was beautiful and fun.

Nearly 1 million people visit the fort site every year, including approximately 5,000 students on school trips. The vast majority of local folks go there for outdoor recreation and for the occasional special event like a parade or historic encampment, while out-of-towners focus on history, Rose said. Sometimes visitors talk about their own ancestral connections to the site.

That kind of personal connection is part of what the bicentennial means to promote, Rose said.

“We’re developing many different ways for people to enjoy the site,” she said.

Here’s the lineup of bicentennial Fort Vancouver events set for the rest of this year. Some require registration, so visit the Friends website (friendsfortvancouver.org) or the National Park Service Fort Vancouver website (nps.gov/fova) for full details. Most events are at the Fort Vancouver Visitor Center at 1501 E. Evergreen Blvd. The fort site is at 1001 E. Fifth St.

We’ll be back later with more information about bicentennial events in 2025.

• Oct. 12: “Covenant of the Salmon People,” a film screening presented by the Nez Perce tribe. Free but registration required.
• Oct. 19: Fur-trade historian Nancy Marguerite Anderson talks about her books “The HBC Brigades” and “The York Factory Express.”
• Nov. 1-2: Vintage art show with Lillian Pitt, a renowned Wasco and Yakama artist.
• Dec. 14: Heritage Holiday at Fort Vancouver. Cultural demonstrations and hands-on activities for families. Admission is $15.