Fort Vancouver National Historic Reserve

Nestled snugly today in the Vancouver/Portland metropolitan area and enveloped by its highway, rail, air, and maritime commercial networks, Fort Vancouver is a gem of a park whose story as an economic and cultural center - told, in part, through engaging programs and a world-class archaeology collection - fascinatingly portends that of the modern-day Pacific Northwest.

Park rangers lead visitors on daily tours of a reconstructed version of the fort, which burned to the ground in the 1860s, describing the life of the fur trappers, local natives and Hudson's Bay Company employees. Areas open to the public include the fur-processing room, the Indian trade store and the director's house. Once a year in September, Fort Vancouver hosts candlelight tours, when re-enactors carry out the daily life of the Fort Vancouver residents.