Fort Vancouver Cultural Landscape Report

Site
(continued)

Fort Plain (continued)

Stockade and Associated Structures

The size of the new stockade and the number of buildings it contained expanded over the years, reaching its greatest extent in the late 1840s. By 1846, the appearance and size of the stockade had changed significantly from that of a decade earlier. [431] Later testimony by managers and employees of the Company all agrees that the stockade's interior appearance in 1846 was largely due to changes which began in the late 1830s. Chief Factor James Douglas stated "The principal buildings...existing at the time of the Treaty... [were] erected subsequently to the year 1838--as in that and the following years the old buildings were removed and replaced by other erections." Clerk Thomas Lowe said "The whole of [the buildings within the fort] with a few trifling exceptions, had been built between the years 1839 and 1844. I myself saw the principal stores put up in 1843 and 1844." [432] Manager Dugald Mactavish later said, "After 1839 within the fort the picketing fence was entirely renewed, all the large warehouses, four in number, the office, the bakehouse, the prison and the forge." [433] The structural evolution of the stockade altered its spatial configuration, circulation, and small scale elements which comprised its landscape features. Unfortunately, historic and graphic documentation of these features is scant.

The Stockade: 1829-1836

By early March of 1829 the new stockade was apparently complete enough for Jedediah Smith to observe that its dimensions were about three hundred feet square. The actual dimensions were 320 feet, east-west, and 317.7 feet north south. It was built of closely fitted Douglas fir logs, ranging from five to thirteen inches in diameter, with the larger posts apparently used at the corners of the structure. Horizontal cross pieces pegged or notched into the logs ran around the inside wall, about four feet from the top; each cross piece measured about thirteen feet in length and were mortised at the ends into larger posts called "king posts." Up until 1845, visitors estimated the stockade height as between apparently eighteen to twenty-five feet tall above grade. There was one entrance to the stockade, set approximately in the center of the south wall, 164.5 feet east of the southwest corner. [434]

The buildings within the stockade, when completed, were located along the interior edges of the fort, in a U shape, with the open end of the U along the north wall. It has been hypothesized that the first Chief Factor's house was centered between the ends of the U, near the north wall, facing the gate. Two buildings flanked the gate on the interior at the base of the U, forming a road or corridor which led to an apparently open courtyard in the center of the U. These were what is called the First Fur Store, to the west of the gate, and the first Indian trade shop, to the east. Arranged along the west interior wall, forming the west leg of the U, were, from south to north, a powder magazine, the new store, the sales shop, and a general store house. Along the east leg of the U was a carpenter's shop; a structure hypothesized to be a building serving an Indian trade shop, which included a hospital dispensary, apparently built prior to the first Indian trade shop; and a building now called the old office. Wyeth mentioned a "powder magazine of stone" when he visited the fort in October of 1832. [435] Archaeological evidence to date indicates the magazine's walls were of brick imported from England. [436] John Warren Dease noted on November 26, 1829 that: "Men building a Temp[orary] Bake house..." [437] Its location has not been determined.

Early descriptions of the stockade's interior are limited. In 1834 John Kirk Townsend said there were ten or twelve buildings "...ranged around in a quadrangular form," and that "...the house occupied by the doctor" was "in the middle." The open court in the center of the stockade was "an oblong square, of about one hundred by two hundred and fifty feet...In front, and enclosed on three sides by the buildings, is a large open space, where all the outdoor work of the establishment is done. Here the Indians assemble with their multifarious articles of trade, beaver, otter, venison and various other game, and here, once a week, several scores of Canadians are employed, beating the furs which have been collected, in order to free them from dust and vermin." [438] On at least one occasion, the court served as a round-up corral. In 1833 William Tolmie described preparations for a ride to the Lower Plain: "The square was now occupied with upwards of 100 horses & canadians were busy lassoing some for use. At 12 got all mounted & Govr., Cowie, G & self beside a large cavalcade of Canadians & boys, set out for Vancouver Plain..." [439]

Archaeological studies have established that privies were located between the buildings and the walls of the stockade, a pattern which continued throughout successive expansions. To date, a total thirty-three, apparently spanning the life of the stockade, have been found. Of these, seven may date to the earliest years of the stockade's construction; four, at least, located along the east wall of this first period, date prior to its expansion between 1834 and 1836. No privies have been located along the original south and west walls of the stockade. An 1860 Boundary Commission photograph shows what appears to be a privy along the easternmost wall of the last phase of stockade construction, indicating it was enclosed within a shed-roofed building. [440] At this time the extent of enclosure of the earlier privies is unknown.

Of the five wells uncovered to date by archaeologists, it appears from historic documentation that only one of these could have been in existence during the early period of the stockade, and its date of construction at this point has been placed later, circa 1841, since it is first recorded on the Emmons plan of 1841, and first mentioned by Lieutenant Wilkes. [441] There is no apparent reason, however, why it could not have existed in the 1830s. It was located slightly southwest of the warehouse in the northwest corner of the stockade, at the edge of the court. Its location within the court is interesting--three successive additional wells were placed near the stockade walls, behind the principal buildings, in what could be termed the "service area" of the stockade. The fourth well, which is believed to be the last one sunk, circa 1854, was located in the center of the enlarged stockade, when operations at Fort Vancouver were on the decline.

Archaeology and some historic graphics indicate that different areas of the stockade, between the buildings and the walls, were fenced throughout the period of the stockade's existence. The fencing can be dated, to some extent, from knowledge of the date of the building construction and illustrations, but this dating tends to become less reliable in the west haff of the stockade, since the exact sequence of the construction or re-construction of older buildings is not clearly understood. At present it is believed the fencing served at least two purposes: to keep any loosed livestock--such as the horses to which Tolmie referred--out of the areas in back of the buildings, and to discourage theft of any materials or provisions stored in back of the buildings. The appearance of the fencing--its style and height--at this time is not known. Fences between and behind the buildings on the west and north of the stockade may post-date this period, since the large stores and warehouses were either replaced or substantially rebuilt in the late 1830s and early '40s. Fences lining the road or path leading from the only gate of this early stockade, located near the center of the south wall, may date to this first period, since they would have served to keep any livestock driven from outside the stockade from behind the buildings, and would have discouraged access to any merchandize stored behind the fur store or trade shop, although the latter was also rebuilt or replaced in 1844.

Other small-scale elements within the stockade at this time include a belfry and a flagstaff. The location of the first flagstaff within the stockade is unknown; the second, known to exist by 1841, was located southeast of the second fur store, on the south side of the stockade: it is believed to date to the time of the stockade's first expansion east, circa 1834, since it would have then been positioned near the center of the enlarged stockade. [442] It is depicted in drawings of the 1840s as a simple one-piece mast. A bell served to signal work times, church services, and other daily and weekly activities. The existence of a belfry in the 1830s is well-documented, but its location, at present, is unknown.

The post was still under construction in September, 1829, when John Warren Dease, in charge of the Fort Colvile District, arrived at the fort seeking medical treatment. [443] He noted on September 6 that he "Got my tent pitched there being no house room: all the gentlemen being in lodges or tents." Towards the end of October he finally procured a room in a "twenty-foot square house, which he shared with two other Company officers, "Not a shelf or bench yet in my house nor the gabled end finished." On November 11 Dease recorded, "Here I am in a room half finished, as cold in night as out of doors." By this time, however, Dease was apparently suffering from McLoughlin's disfavor, and, despite his illness, on November 30, wrote "Chief Factor McLoughlin seems determined not to get my room arranged though the rain drops in it and wind comes through in every quarter." [444]

The location of this twenty-foot square structure is unknown at present: known structures within the stockade up to 1836 did not apparently include any living quarters other than those in the Chief Factor's house. However, in 1832 George Allan noted "The Fort itself is surounded with high stockades and consists of a Governor's house, stores, an office and houses for the gentlemen who conduct the trade." [445] Also, in 1833, Dr. William Tolmie and Dr. Gairdner were assigned quarters in the Apothecaries Hall, which adjoined the "schoolroom" on the north and an unoccupied apartment to the south. When he described, in some detail, the interior of his quarters, he noted that a partition was to be built to create a front room which would be the surgery. From his description, it appears that his apartment could have been in the building noted as the earliest Indian trade shop, or the "first store," on the east leg of the U. [446]

Two successive Chief Factor--or Big House, as they were referred to by employees-residences existed within the stockade; the first, probably located in the general vicinity indicated above in the original portion of the stockade, and the second built after the stockade was expanded to the east in 1834-36. It is the second house which has been reconstructed and stands within the Park's stockade today. Apparently the first Big House was disassembled and moved from the original 1824-25 stockade on Old Fort Hill to the new stockade sometime in the fall of 1829: John Warren Dease noted in his journal October 9, 1829, "Began to put up the posts of the big house..." [447] The exact location of the first house has not been determined with certainty; it is believed to have been demolished when the new one was completed in 1838. It is believed missionaries Cyrus Shepherd and Jason Lee were given housing in the Big House after their arrival in September of 1834. Lee noted, "...our baggage was brought and put into a spacious room without consulting us and the room assigned for our use..." [448] Sheperd's diary says "...a large convenient room was prepared for the reception of ourselves and our effects." [449]

The Stockade: 1834-1841

Between 1834 and 1836 the stockade was enlarged, and during and following that period, new buildings were erected in the interior. W.H. Gray, who arrived with the Whitmans in 1836, later recalled: "The old fort was so much decayed that the new one was being built and portions of the old one replaced." [450]

The dimensions of the stockade until the early 1840s, according to archaeological studies of the site, were 660.75 feet, east-west, by 317.7 feet, north-south. The west wall was rebuilt 23.5 feet west of the original stockade's west wall; the east wall was extended 317.25 feet east of the original wall. Two new gates were built in the stockade walls at this time: a second gate on the south, near the southeast corner, measuring 10.75 in width, was built, and a gate which probably measured around twelve feet in width, was erected on the north, 212 feet from the stockade's northeast corner. [451]

Visitors to the fort during this period give varying dimensions for the stockade, although they all indicate the stockade was at least doubled in size. The Rev. Samuel Parker said in October of 1835 that the "strongly stockaded" enclosure was thirty-seven rods long and eighteen rods wide, (297 by 610.5 feet). Parker was a careful observer: perhaps his report pre-dates the first expansion of the stockade to the west. [452] John Sinclair reported in April of 1838: "The principal buildings are enclosed by a picket forming an area of 750 by 450 feet." [453] Captain Edward Belcher, who visited in 1838, reported some puzzling dimensions: "...it is a picketed enclosure three hundred yards square, the pickets being 18 feet high, composed of roughly split pine longs...It is furnished with three gates, two of which are invariably opened by day..." [454] In 1839, Catholic priests who arrived at the post in late 1838, Frs. Modeste Demers and Francois Norbert Blanchet, noted the fort "...is a parallelogram of one arpent in width by several arpents in depth surround by stakes of something like twenty feet in height...The gates are closed every evening for the safety of the goods on deposit there..." [455] Thomas J. Farnham, also at the depot in 1839, said: "The fort itself, is an oblong square, 250 yards in length, by 150 in breadth, inclosed by pickets, twenty feet in height." [456] George Foster Emmons, who arrived with the Wilkes expedition in 1841, drew the first known plan of the stockade's interior in July of 1841; he estimated its size at four hundred by seven hundred feet. [457]

The Emmons plan shows the interior at that time was divided into two large open spaces by buildings which edged the original stockade's east wall. The courtyard of the original stockade was to the west, and a slightly larger courtyard, enclosed on the north, east and west by new buildings, was to the east. At that time, the c. 1829-30 buildings--the "old" office, the "old store", converted in 1838 or '39 into a Roman Catholic chapel, and the carpenter's shop--now served to divide the enlarged space into two distinct areas. Captain Edward Belcher said in 1838: "Houses of residence, as well as storehouses of the company are within this enclosure, forming two squares." [458] In 1839, Farnham said the stockade's interior was "...divided into two courts, around which are arranged thirty-five wooden buildings, used as officers' dwellings, lodging apartments for clerks, store-houses for furs, goods and grains, and as workshops for carpenters, blacksmiths, coopers, turners, wheelwrights, &c." [459] It is probable that at this time, the new south gate, to the east, became the principal or formal portal to the stockade: various visitors noted that upon entering the stockade, the Chief Factor's house, located across the east court, was in view, and the Indian trade shop was immediately to the right after entry through the gate. The original gate to the west led to what became primarily a warehousing precinct, and seems likely, both functionally and for reasons of security, to have been a secondary service entrance.

John Sinclair reported in April of 1838: "Within the pickets there are 34 buildings of all descriptions, including officers' dwelling houses, workshops for carpenters, blacksmiths, wheelwrights, coopers, tinners, and etc., all of wood, except the magazine for powder, which is of brick. [460] This count does not tally with the map prepared by Emmons in 1841, which shows nineteen structures--although one of these was actually two separate buildings, making a total of twenty. In 1839 Frs. Demers and Blanchet noted the existence of "...dwellings of the gentry, the storehouses, sheds, a blacksmith shop, a number of lesser buildings..." [461]

Figure 3. 1841 illustration of Fort Vancouver stockade and portion of Fort Plain looking northeast, by Henry Eld, who was with the U.S. Exploring Expedition commanded by Charles Wilkes. Original from Henry Eld, "Journal, Statistics &c. in California and Oregon," Beinecke Library, Yale University.

Thomas Farnham, also at the post in 1839, described the activity within the stockade:

The blacksmith is repairing ploughshares, harrow-teeth, chains and mill-irons; the tinman is making cups for the Indians, and camp-kettles &c.; the wheelwright is making wagons, and the wood part of plough sand harrows; the carpenter is repairing houses and building new ones; the cooper is making barrels, for pickling salmon and packing furs; the clerks are posting books and preparing the annual returns to the board in London; the salesmen are receiving beaver, and dealing out goods... [462]

It is possible that some smaller sheds and activity areas which both the priests and Farnham allude to, and which Sinclair apparently counted as separate buildings, were attached to or encompassed by the larger buildings noted on Emmons 1841 map. It is also possible some or all had been demolished by 1841.

In March of 1838 Herbert Beaver noted that "The state of the buildings is altogether most pauperized both in appearance and reality; and though a new great house has been lately built, and is now inhabited, the old one has been dismantled so that very little more accomodation exists." [463] At least twenty structures were located within the stockade at the time Emmons drew his plan in 1841. New buildings known to have been built during this period, included the chaplain's kitchen/schoolhouse (1836-38); a residence called the Priests' House (1837-38); a new bakehouse (the "second" bakehouse); a wash house (c. 1841); a new blacksmith's shop, in the southeast corner (1836-41); a new store, the "Missionary Store" (1836-41), later serving as the second Indian trade (sale) shop; [464] a dormitory referred to as the "Second Bachelors' Quarters (1838);" and the new, or second, Chief Factor's House, or "Big House" (1837-38), with a separate kitchen to the rear (1837-38). These structures were all located in the area encompassed by the stockade expansion to the east. In addition a granary, or wheat store was erected in the winter of 1838-39 near the north wall in the older section of the stockade, east of general storehouse #18, to accommodate the increasing amounts of wheat and other grains produced on the farm and purchased from the Willamette Valley. Among the larger buildings," Samuel Parker noted in 1835, "there are four for the trading department. One for Indian trade, in which are deposited their peltries; one for provisions; one for goods opened for the current year's business, that is to sell to their men and to send off to various fur stations; and another for storing goods in a year's advance." [465] These four buildings were apparently the older structures on the west and south edges of the original enclosure. To date it is known that two earlier buildings had been demolished: the first Big House, and the first priest's house or parsonage, in which the Beavers lived, which gave way to the larger Priest's House noted on the Emmons plan. In addition, the former store in the center of the court was converted around 1838-39 to a Catholic church.

Information regarding the small-scale elements and materials of the courts is scant. Captain Belcher said that in 1838: "In the eastern square the main building is occupied by the chief...In front of the steps of this building are two long twenty-four pounders ship guns and two short merchant cannonades twelve or eighteen pounders...on the left, at right angles, are the quarters of the other clerks, traders, etc." [466] Frs. Demers and Blanchet's report of 1839 noted, in apparent reference to the new courtyard: "...a rather extensive courtyard, where one sees four cannon serving as a means of public elucidation for those who have made themselves guilty of some offence." [467] In 1841, Wilkes said: "...At one end is Dr. M'Laughlin's house, built after the model of the French Canadian, of one story, weather-boarded and painted white. It has a piazza and small flower-beds, with grape and other vines, in front. Between the steps are two old cannons on sea carriages, with a few shot, to speak defiance to the natives, who no doubt look upon them as very formidable weapons of destruction...In the centre stands the Roman Catholic chapel, and near by the flag-staff; beyond these again are the stores, magazines of powder, warerooms, and offices...All is arranged in the best order, and I should think with great economy." [468]

Of the known privies, six were found located along the new east stockade wall, bracketing their dates between 1834 to '36 and 1841 to '44, when the east wall was again moved further out. Three privies have been found along the new north wall of the expanded stockade, and one along the south wall, placing their date of construction after 1834-36. Most of these were located behind residential buildings--the bachelor's quarters (1838) and the new Chief Factor's house kitchen (1837-38). The others were behind the building serving as the chaplain's kitchen and schoolhouse (c.1836-38) during this period, and associated with the priest's house (1837-38); the missionary store (1836-1841), in which it appears the post doctors and other officers lived periodically; and in the northeast corner near the second bakehouse and the wash house. [469] At this time, it appears the well reported by Lieutenant Wilkes and recorded by Emmons, located in the northwest corner of the old court, was still in use.

As noted earlier, a second flagstaff, known to have existed by 1841, and confirmed archaeologically, was situated near the south stockade wall, in the approximate center of the enlarged stockade, southeast of the first Indian trade shop. Another flagstaff, located archaeologically, was found in front of the second Chief Factor's house, located just north of the fence enclosing the front of the house, and positioned in the approximate center. Its construction date has been hypothesized as close to the time of the construction of the house, 1837-8; it does not appear in the map or illustration by Vavasour and Warre of 1845, nor in the 1846-47 painting attributed to John Mix Stanley. The belfry during this period was one pre-dating a new one erected in 1844; its location is unknown.

As during the 1829-31 period, fences were built between the backs of buildings and the stockade walls, and various maps have indicated a number of fence lines. Dating is somewhat problematic, as has been noted earlier, but it is generally assumed that the fences date to near the construction date of the buildings to which they were attached. As mentioned previously, the fences which ran between the buildings on the west edge of the stockade are difficult to date, owning to the uncertainty of the construction sequences, although whether rebuilt or renewed, construction activity appears to date to 1844-45. Along the north wall, it appears a fence enclosing a space behind the chaplain's kitchen/schoolhouse may date to the time of its construction, 1836-38; a fence extending from the northwest corner of the Chief Factor's house may date to the same period. These fences would have lined the road leading from the north gate into the stockade, and replicate the pattern established by the fences at the southwest gate, directing traffic to the court interior. Along the east stockade wall, there were two fences enclosing the area behind the bachelor's quarters, one at each end of the building, which may date to its construction in 1838, and a short span of fencing extending from the northwest corner of the wash house (c. 1841) to the second bakehouse (1837-38). On the south, fences enclosed the area behind the first Indian trade shop, which may date to its construction (1836-41). In addition, a fence enclosed a garden in front of the Chief Factor's house; it has been located archaeologically, and a picket fence can be seen in the 1860 Boundary Commission photograph of the building. This enclosure is presumed to date from the time of construction of the building, 1837-38.

The surface material of the courtyard, and the circulation patterns during this period are unknown. However, one resident's comments seem to indicate the stockade's interior was, essentially, dirt. By now quite soured on Fort Vancouver, Herbert Beaver wrote in March, 1838: "Besides, from the water, which has surrounded our home, and the mud caused by the Pigs and Carts, by which the ground around it is perfectly ploughed up, the one who remains there, has become a complete prisoner the whole winter...now, buried,as we are, amidst the store-houses and palisades, we can see nothing but the sky, nor feel a breath of fresh air during our sultry summer." [470]

Most of the buildings in the fort at this time were, according to Emmons, "...wood, generally hewn logs, like the universal log Houses of Canada." [471] Wilkes said, "Besides the store-houses there is also a granary, which is a frame building of two stories, and the only one, the rest being built of logs. [472] Emmons, on July 25, 1841, noted of the stockade, "Nearly all the posts are more or less decayed at the surface of the earth, and will soon require replacing by others." [473]

The Stockade: 1841-46

During this period, the stockade reflected the development of the depot when the Hudson's Bay Company, through Fort Vancouver, had reached its maximum influence in the region. Dugald Mactavish later stated that in 1846, all the buildings were "in good order" and were "substantial." He noted that, "Besides trade with Indians, considerable trade for supplying the settlements on the Willamette Valley, for Agricultural operations alone, the place was larger than necessary." [474] Joel Palmer, who visited the fort in 1845-46, noted: "Many buildings are large and commodious and fitted up for an extensive business, others are old fashioned looking concerns, and much dilapidated..." [475]

The stockade during this period measured 732.8 to 734 feet east-west, and about 318 feet north-south. Two features of special significance mark this period of stockade construction: the bastion at the northwest corner of the stockade, on which construction was begun in February of 1845, and the post's third bakehouse, which was completed late in 1844. The bakehouse is notable because it helps to date the expansion of the stockade, since the building extended both east and west of the stockade's east wall, and was apparently built--or begun--when the wall was shifted 57.75 feet to the east. It appears the west wall was shifted about 16.3 feet west in January or February of 1845, when the bastion in the northwest corner of the stockade was begun. [476]

Visitor observations of the fort differ when reporting the size of the stockade. Eugene Duflot de Mofrás, who worked for the French government and was at the post in October of 1841, said the stockade was "240 meters wide and 130 meters deep," or about 787 by 426 feet. [477] Lieutenant Mervyn Vavasour, who along with Lieutenant Henry Warre was evaluating Hudson's Bay posts for the British government in 1845, reported the "...picket fence 15 feet high and 226 yards by 100 yards; at the N.W. angle there is a 3 storied blockhouse, 20 feet square, the two lower stories are loop-holed, the upper is an octagonal cap containing eight 3 Pd. iron guns." [478]

Because the de Mofrás estimate is at variance with the archaeological evidence regarding the ultimate size of the stockade, it is difficult to pin down the exact year of the stockade's second expansion to the east. Emmons had noted in July of 1841 that the posts were decayed and would soon require replacement, however, it appears the bakehouse's construction was simultaneous with the new east stockade wall, and its construction history tends to suggest it was built in 1844. [479] Dugald MacTavish, stationed at the post in the late 1830s and 1840s, and later a manager of Fort Vancouver said "The stockade was renewed in the autumn of 1842 and by the spring of 1845 the entire enclosure had been renewed." [480] His description of procuring timber for the stockade--selection of logs "at a great distance from the fort," rafting them down river, and hauling them by oxen to the site--implies the construction continued over some time. Millwright William Crate later testified that rebuilding began before he left the post in 1843, and that when he returned in 1849, "...many of the buildings had been rebuilt, and most of the stockade and all the buildings had been put in first rate repair." [481]

The rebuilding program continued during this period. New structures included the aforementioned bakehouse and the northwest bastion, under construction in February of 1845. A new storehouse--"The Beef Store"--was built on the site of the earlier one-story general storehouse #18, by 1845, where it shows on Vavasour's plan of the stockade, and probably several years earlier, to accommodate the storage of beef processed from the now large numbers of cattle stocking the farm. An iron store was erected in the southeast corner, east of the second blacksmith's shop, after the east stockade wall was moved, between 1844 and 1845. The earlier general store house #17, in the northwest corner of the stockade, was demolished by 1845, and a root house constructed on its site, possibly as early as 1846.

The chaplain's kitchen/schoolhouse was converted to use as a church--The Owyhee Church--during this period, although it is believed to have continued to be used as a schoolhouse as well. The building housing the second bakehouse in the northeast corner of the fort was either torn down and replaced with a new structure, or was converted to use as a harness shop after the new, "third bakehouse," was completed to its east in 1844. In addition, the Big House, or second Chief Factor's house, underwent repairs, where the gallery was replaced in May of 1845. [482]

The four storehouses on the west and south edges of the older courtyard were probably all torn down and rebuilt during this period; as noted earlier, several witnesses testified to their replacement or renewal. It is known for sure that the storehouse in the southwest corner, was replaced by the "new store" in 1844, where Thomas Lowe makes reference to its construction in his journal. It appears that the building to its north, the general store house, was also torn down and replaced by a new "sale shop" in 1844-45. The two structures were connected on the second story by a catwalk, which spanned the space between them. Some time between 1841 and 1844, the fur shop was moved from its original location in the building east of the powder magazine to a building immediately to its east. This latter structure was either a new building on the site of the first Indian trade shop, or a substantially rebuilt structure. On the site of the first fur store, a new building was erected, which was called the "provisions" store. The Indian sale shop functions were moved into a building erected between 1836 and 1841 on the south edge of the east court; this building was previously referred to as the "missionary store" or shop.

During this period, the spatial organization of the interior was altered by the removal of the old buildings which had been located along the east wall of the original stockade, and which had served to divide the yard into two courts. The first carpenter's shop was either demolished or moved to a site almost due north of its original location, along the north stockade wall; by 1844 the shop was located in a structure on that new site. The Catholic church was demolished in June of 1846, just after the new Catholic church outside the stockade was dedicated. The last building dividing the two courts, the "old office," was left standing, although construction of a "new office" had begun in August of 1845. The "new office" was occupied by Captain Baillie, commander of the Modeste, which apparently forestalled removal of the old office, which continued in use until the Modeste left Fort Vancouver. [483] It can be seen in the first known illustration of the stockade's interior, executed by Lieutenant T.P. Coode, in 1846-47, and both offices are listed in the 1846-47 inventory of buildings prepared by the Company.

Of the interior of the stockade, in late 1841 de Mofrás reported, "The enclosure contains thirty separate buildings. These include quarters for the governor, the superintendent, and other employes of the Company, together with their families, carpenter, locksmith, and blacksmith shops, forges, storehouses for furs, tanneries, a warehouse for European merchandise, a pharmacy, and a Catholic church that also serves as a school. All of these buildings are constructed of wood, except the powder magazine which is an isolated brick structure." He also noted "...two antiquated iron cannon that have been spiked, which stand in the center of the quadrangle." [484] In 1845, Vavasour said, "The establishment contains several large stores houses, made of squared timber, small stone powder magazine and several framed dwelling houses..." He noted in an addenda, dated November: "Number and description of Buildings: 6 large storehouses, 4 dwelling houses, bakehouse, blacksmith's shop &c. &c. affording accomodation for about 500 men." [485]

From Lieutenant Coode's 1846-47 watercolor, it appears that the west end of the central court, at least, was devoid of any vegetation other than the grapevines growing in front of the Chief Factor's house. The grapevines, according to Dugald Mactavish, were "...bearing fruit and of some value." [486] In the Coode illustration, a path encircled the yard, running within yards of the entries to the buildings ; it is difficult to tell the nature of the path's materials, but in the watercolor, it appears simply to be a well-worn dirt surface, distinguished only from the center of the court by a change in color and texture. It is impossible, also, to determine the nature of the material of the center court; perhaps it was grass. The next available close-up views of the stockade's interior are three taken by the British Boundary Commission Party in May, 1860, showing the northeast and northwest corners of the court, and the Chief Factor's residence. British North West Boundary Commission Survey Due to the grainy nature of the black and white photographs, it is difficult to determine the composition of the yard's surface. In the photo of the northeast corner, two small trees can be seen behind the tents, one just west of the granary, and one north of the sale shop. It is unknown when they were planted--if they were deliberately planted, and not volunteers allowed to grow as maintenance slipped, and the old office in the 1846-47 Coode drawing blocks the view of their location.

Figure 4. Hudson's Bay Company stockade interior, 1846-47, looking west. The illustration shows a path around the edges of the courtyard, grapevines on Chief Factor's House (far right), belfry and flagstaff, and the Old Office jutting into the open space of the courtyard, prior to its demolition. Copy of a watercolor by Lt. T.P. Coode. Original in Hudson's Bay Company Archives.

The circulation pattern within the stockade during this period is also not clear, but a later U.S. Army map shows a network of paths which may have been in existence during this period. [487] The 1860 Boundary Commission photograph of the northwest corner of the stockade interior shows what appears to be a planked walkway or road leading, apparently, from the southwest gate to the center of the yard, where it abruptly terminates. To date, it is unknown when this was installed, or for what purpose. [488] The probable remains of a planked road, eight to ten feet wide, and approximately 70 feet long, running between the the second fur store and the provisions store were found in association with a drainage system by archaeologists Hoffman and Ross in 1974, which may place the date of the road around 1845. [489]

It appears that at least three wells--probably four--were used during this period. Within the stockade, it appears the wells were used in succession. As noted earlier, Charles Wilkes reported--and Emmons drew--the earliest known well to date in the northwest corner of the west court. It was in use at least during their visit, in the spring and summer of 1841. When Lieutenant Mervyn Vavasour of the Royal Engineers and Lieutenant Henry J. Warre of the Fourteenth Regiment arrived at the post late in 1845, Vavasour recorded another well north of the beef store, between it and the north wall of the stockade. He also recorded another well, located east of the wash house, in the northeast corner of the fort, beyond the 1834-36 east wall of the expanded stockade. This well's construction was documented by clerk Thomas Lowe, who noted it was being dug in February of 1845. [490] What appears to have been a fourth well, recently detected by archaeologists, was located just outside the north wall of the stockade, in the approximate center of the south edge of the garden; it is presently assumed the well was for garden use, and its construction date is unknown. As noted earlier, the above-ground appearance of the wells not known at present.

In December of 1844, a new belfry was erected, north of the site of what would become the location of the new office, begun in August of 1845. Clerk Thomas Lowe recorded that the bell was located "at the top of a spar 45 feet above the ground." [491] The base of this structure has been located archaeologically, and can be seen in the 1847 Coode watercolor of the stockade's interior. By 1855, however, a new belfry had been erected just south of the east-west center line of the stockade, in the approximate middle of the court; it can be seen on illustrations from that period, and in the 1860 boundary photographs of the stockade's interior.

Of the privies known to have existed, one has been found near the new west wall of the stockade, northwest of the sale shop, and therefore dates to after 1845. Eight have been found on the edge of the new east stockade wall, six of them east of the bachelor's quarters. Some of these clearly date to the time of the construction of the new east wall, but some could have been erected in the late '40s and throughout the '50s as well.

If, as it appears, the sale shop and new store were both new structures built in 1844 and 1845, then the fences which extended from them on a north-south axis probably date to this period. Two fence lines extending from the beef store to the north stockade wall, enclosing the "second well" shown on the 1845 map, were probably also erected during this period. Fence lines extending east to the new stockade wall from existing fences on the east corners of the bachelor's quarters may also date to this time.

Structures Associated with the Stockade: 1829-1846

The Gate

The 1846-47 painting attributed to John Mix Stanley shows a heretofore unremarked upon structure of some significance to the landscape organization by the Company. It appears to be a gate, comprised of two vertical posts and a horizontal beam, shown on the painting to the right (west) of the bastion. From its position within the painting, it appears to have been sited with the beam running north-south, across Lower Mill Road, on the east side of the intersection of Lower Mill Road and the "river road". The painting is generally considered a reliable and detailed representation of the stockade vicinity, or at least the stockade proper, and it seems unlikely the illustrator would have taken artistic license with a feature so far back in the painting. The location of a gate at this intersection is highly credible: it would have marked a formal entry to the stockade environs on the route most traveled by everyone visiting the stockade. Lower Mill Road, the principal road to the stockade, and the main gate--later gates--were located on its south side. The Lower Mill Road was also the principal access from the heart of Kanaka Village to the stockade, at least in the mid-40s, as shown on the 1844 Peers map and the 1845 Vavasour map. What appears to be the same structure can barely be seen on the 1846-47 Paul Kane sketch of the site, drawn from approximately the same angle as the painting attributed to Stanley. Unfortunately, no other maps or drawings preceding, during or after this period indicate a gate in this location. Nevertheless, it appears that a gate probably existed in this location in the mid-1840s.

Exterior of Stockade's Southeast Corner

There is little reference in the historic literature to buildings known to have existed beyond the stockade's southeast corner. However, both period illustrations and archaeologic investigations indicate at least a small cluster of structures existed in this location, dating back to at least 1841. What appear to be the cellars of several buildings have been found beyond the southeast corner of the stockade prior to its expansion east between 1841 and "44, and within the later east picket wall.

Three buildings outside the southeast corner, in an east-west row can be seen in the drawing by Henry Eld of the U.S. Exploring Expedition, at the fort in the spring and summer of 1841. Two can be seen in a sketch by artist Alfred Agate, also with the Expedition. Three structures are also illustrated on the 1844 stockade area map, after the expansion east, but the size of the structures do not appear to correlate with Eld's drawing. The watercolor and lithograph by Lieutenant Henry Warre, in 1845, also show three structures. Three buildings are also illustrated in the 1846-47 sketch by Paul Kane and the 1846 Covington stockade area map, and the edge of one building can be seen in the 1846-47 painting attributed to John Mix Stanley. Of these, the Kane and Covington graphics seem to agree best regarding the approximate size and siting of the three buildings, with a larger, gable-roofed structure nearest the stockade wall, and two smaller buildings to its east. The 1846-47 painting tends to support the image of a larger sized structure nearest the wall. The Warre drawings and the Kane sketch seem to indicate that this larger buildings was in fact two gable-roofed structures sharing a common wall, with a smaller building to the east slightly set back from the east-west alignment. The third, easternmost building shown on the later drawings is not visible in the Warre sketches. In the 1844 stockade area map, the larger building appears to be illustrated, but the two structures to the east of it are not equal in size--if the scale is correct, the structure just east of the larger building appears to be no larger than the wash house within the stockade. In the Eld drawing of 1841, the largest of the three buildings appears to be the middle structure. In the Agate drawing, two structures are visible, the nearest of which appears to have a hipped roof.

The larger building is identified on the 1846 Covington stockade area map as the "cooper's shed;" the 1846-47 inventory of buildings listed a coopers shop, 70 by 30 feet, and later testimony by Henry Tuzo, at the fort beginning in 1853, testifies to the location of a "large cooper's shop" outside the stockade to the east. [492] According to historian John Hussey, the cooper's shop was situated in this building at least by 1846, and possibly as early as 1841. There is some question as to which of the buildings shown on the Eld and Agate drawings--if any--was this building, since both drawings show the buildings at a distance at a small scale and their execution was made prior to the expansion of the east stockade wall. Archaeological investigations have identified structural remains which could be the west foundation of the cooper's shop, and a privy in the area was also uncovered. Since excavation of the remainder of the area was not done, it is not possible at this time to positively identify the location of the shop. [493]

Figure 5. Fort Vancouver stockade looking northwest in 1845. Based on sketches made by Lt. Henry Wane, this lithograph shows fenced fields south and north (on the rising ground) of the stockade, and the cooper's shop and associated buildings just outside the southeast corner. Original from Henry Wane, Sketches in North America and the Oregon Territory.

The other structures, if they ever served any other purpose, were, by 1853, used as dwellings, according to Tuzo. [494] Archaeological investigations have uncovered one pre 1841 structure within west of the expanded 1841-44 east stockade wall, and a large quantity of domestic and personal artifacts tend to indicate that the building was used as a dwelling. In 1991 readings with a magnetometer identified other patterns of subsurface anomalies which may indicate additional building sites in the area. [495] An 1860 army board inventorying the post noted the existence of four "hovels" near the southeast corner of the stockade, and the associated inventory map shows three small buildings in an east-west row, and one perpendicular to the row on the east. [496]

As noted above, archaeologists have found one privy in this area. In addition, the Warre illustrations of 1845 show what appears to be a three or four foot tall fence, extending from the southeast corner of the stockade to the southwest corner of the building identified as the cooper's shop. It also shows a very low fence which appears to extend east from the northeast corner of the cooper's shop, and continue north, to at least partially enclose the front "yard" of the structure immediately east of the shop. An enclosure of some nature around dwellings on the farm is not unprecedented--several buildings north of Upper Mill road, and within Kanaka village have been illustrated as being placed within enclosures, presumably to keep out wandering livestock. The reason for the difference in the height and apparent construction of the two visible fences is not known; perhaps the taller fence enclosed an area in which valuable cooper's material was stored, and was erected to keep out not only livestock, but thieves.

Root Houses

From its inception, managers at Fort Vancouver planted and harvested hundreds of bushels of potatoes, which were a staple in the rations for the employees. The location of the storage buildings for potatoes--those for rations "for the men" and for seed for the following year were stored, according to the Rev. Herbert Beaver--up until 1844 is not known. In September of 1844, however, Thomas Lowe recorded that "Another gang of men [is] employed building a new potatoe cellar at the upper end of the back road." [497] The reference is almost certainly to the north gate road, which terminated at Upper Mill Road. The 1844 stockade area map shows a structure in the northwest corner of the field north of the stockade and east of the north gate road, almost certainly the potato cellar referred to by Lowe. The 1846-47 inventory lists three root houses as outbuildings, each apparently 60 by 20 feet. [498] Their location can only be confirmed as somewhere on Fort Plain from the listing, although at least one was the building north of the fort described by Lowe. This building and a second one to the east of it are seen in the 1846-47 painting generally believed to be by John Mix Stanley, which clearly shows two gable-roofed structures, with their ridges running north-south. The 1846-47 sketch by artist Paul Kane also shows what appears to be these same two structures. The function of the easternmost building is unknown, although at present it is believed to be one of the other two root cellars listed in the inventory. Unlike the garden summerhouse, which can be seen on sketches as late as 1855, these structures are not shown on any maps or in any sketches after 1846-47; they are absent from the 1851 Gibbs sketch, and from all early 1850s army maps.