Fort Astoria

Fort Astoria was a fortified fur-trading post established in 1811 by the Pacific Fur Company, a subsidiary of John Jacob Astor’s American Fur Company. Located near the mouth of the Columbia River in what is now Astoria, Oregon, it was intended to serve as the administrative and commercial center of an American trading network on the Pacific coast. Its creation marked the first American-owned settlement on the Pacific coast of North America, although the site operated within a contested region inhabited and economically controlled in important respects by Indigenous peoples. The post was created through two coordinated movements. A maritime contingent sailed from New York aboard the Tonquin, rounding Cape Horn and entering the Columbia River in April 1811. A second group, associated with the Wilson Price Hunt overland expedition, traveled from St. Louis and reached the post in stages. Company personnel cleared heavily forested and rocky ground and constructed a stockade, trading store, residence, storage facilities, blacksmith shop, and defensive gun positions. The fort became a base for related operations, including Fort Okanogan, and was supplied through the Pacific and trans-Pacific trade routes. Fort Astoria’s workforce was multinational and socially hierarchical. Company partners and officers directed clerks, craftsmen, hunters, voyageurs, and laborers. The population included Americans, Scots, French Canadians, Métis and other Indigenous people, Iroquois workers, and Native Hawaiians, then commonly described in company records as Kanakas. The fort’s commercial activity depended on exchange with nearby Chinookan communities and other Indigenous groups. Furs included beaver, sea otter, squirrel, and red fox, while food supplies such as fish, wapato, and game were obtained through local trade. Relations combined cooperation, dependence, suspicion, and competition among rival trading companies. The post faced serious logistical problems. The destruction of the Tonquin in 1811 after a violent encounter at Clayoquot Sound deprived the company of trade goods and provisions. The isolated settlement also struggled with food shortages, illness, morale, and uncertainty about relations with local communities and competitors. In 1812, Astor dispatched the Beaver to resupply the station and carry furs to Russian America and China, but the War of 1812 made the company’s Pacific operations increasingly difficult. In 1813, Pacific Fur Company officers agreed to sell the post and associated assets to the Montreal-based North West Company. The NWC renamed it Fort George and used it as the western headquarters of its Columbia operations. After the North West Company was absorbed in 1821, the Hudson’s Bay Company incorporated the post into its network. Fort Vancouver became the preferred regional headquarters in 1825, leading to Fort George’s abandonment, although the site was later reopened for a period when American maritime traders returned to the Columbia. Control of the post formed part of the wider dispute between Britain and the United States over the Oregon Country. Under the Treaty of Ghent, the former American property was returned to the United States. The original fort no longer survives as an intact structure; the site is commemorated by a reconstructed blockhouse and historical interpretation. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961.

John Jacob Astor pursued a Pacific Northwest trading venture as part of a broader commercial strategy connecting North America, the Pacific, Russian America, and China. After establishing the American Fur Company in 1808, he created the Pacific Fur Company to develop posts on the Pacific coast. The venture recruited experienced North West Company personnel, including Donald McKenzie, Alexander MacKay, and Duncan McDougall, and planned both an overland expedition from St. Louis and a maritime expedition around Cape Horn. The maritime party traveled aboard the Tonquin under Captain Jonathan Thorn. Thirty-three company personnel landed at the Columbia River on April 12, 1811, including Native Hawaiian laborers and several experienced fur traders. They selected a difficult site near the river’s mouth and spent the spring clearing enormous trees, rocks, and dense vegetation. By late May they had erected a bark-covered log stockade with defensive guns. A store, residence, blacksmith shop, storage building, and other facilities were added as the overland party began arriving during the winter of 1811–1812. The post functioned as the Pacific Fur Company’s main administrative station. It supported satellite operations such as Fort Okanogan and served as a collection and exchange point for furs. Its survival depended heavily on local Indigenous trade networks. Chinookan communities supplied fish, wapato, game, and other provisions, while company traders offered manufactured goods and sought beaver, sea otter, fox, and other pelts. The relationship was commercially important but not uniformly harmonious. Company personnel sometimes misread local actions, and military drills conducted in response to fears of attack could increase mutual suspicion. The loss of the Tonquin severely weakened the enterprise. After reaching Clayoquot Sound in 1811, the vessel became involved in a dispute with Tla-o-qui-aht people. An ensuing attack destroyed the ship, with only the Indigenous interpreter Joseachal surviving to report the event at Fort Astoria. The station lost much of its intended supply of food and trade goods. The Beaver later arrived with additional personnel and provisions, including Hawaiian workers, and carried accumulated furs toward Russian America and China. The War of 1812 made the isolated post difficult for the United States to support or defend. In July 1813, company officers concluded that continuing the Pacific Fur Company operation was impractical without new support from Astor. The North West Company, whose personnel reached the coast in October, purchased the Pacific Fur Company assets, including the fort. The transfer was completed on October 23, 1813. A British naval vessel, HMS Racoon, reached the post in December 1813 with orders to claim it for Britain. Because the property had already been sold to British subjects, the captain could not simply seize it as an American military installation. He nevertheless performed a symbolic change of flags and renamed the station Fort George after King George III. The post was later returned to the United States under the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the war. The North West Company continued using Fort George as a regional base until its absorption by the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1821. The Hudson’s Bay Company planned Fort Vancouver, established in 1825, as a better headquarters for the Columbia Department. Fort George was then abandoned, although renewed American maritime activity led to a later reopening. Competition surrounding the post contributed to the diplomatic and commercial context in which British and American claims to the Oregon Country were eventually resolved. The original fort disappeared over time. The location is now interpreted as a historic site associated with Astoria, Oregon, and includes a reconstructed blockhouse. The Fort Astoria Site was designated a National Historic Landmark on November 5, 1961.

• 1961

  National Historic Landmark designation

  [1]Fort Astoriaen.wikipedia.org

  The Fort Astoria Site was placed on the National Historic Landmarks list.

• 1825

  Regional headquarters shifted to Fort Vancouver

  [1]Fort Astoriaen.wikipedia.org

  Fort Vancouver was established as the better-positioned headquarters for the Columbia Department, contributing to Fort George’s abandonment.

• 1821

  Transferred into the Hudson’s Bay Company network

  [1]Fort Astoriaen.wikipedia.org

  The Hudson’s Bay Company incorporated Fort George after absorbing the North West Company.

• 1813

  Assets sold to the North West Company

  [1]Fort Astoriaen.wikipedia.org

  Pacific Fur Company officers transferred the fort and related trading assets to the Montreal-based North West Company.

• 1813

  Renamed Fort George

  [1]Fort Astoriaen.wikipedia.org

  After HMS Racoon visited the post, it was symbolically claimed for Britain and renamed Fort George.

• 1812

  Beaver resupplies the station

  [1]Fort Astoriaen.wikipedia.org

  The Beaver delivered additional personnel and supplies and transported furs toward Russian America and China.

• 1811

  Fort Astoria founded

  [1]Fort Astoriaen.wikipedia.org

  Pacific Fur Company personnel reached the Columbia River and built a fortified trading post near its mouth.

• 1811

  Tonquin destroyed

  [1]Fort Astoriaen.wikipedia.org

  The company’s maritime supply vessel was destroyed after a conflict at Clayoquot Sound, creating major shortages at the new post.

• 1808

  American Fur Company established

  [1]Fort Astoriaen.wikipedia.org

  John Jacob Astor established the American Fur Company, the wider commercial organization that later sponsored the Pacific Fur Company.

Historic Pacific Northwest fur-trading post and symbol of early American commercial expansion into the Pacific Northwest.

• 1813

  Pacific Fur Company asset saleM&A

  Background

  The War of 1812, the post’s isolation, supply difficulties, and the absence of reliable American military support made continued Pacific Fur Company operations impractical.

  Action taken

  Company officers agreed to sell the Pacific Fur Company’s trading stations and assets, including Fort Astoria, to the North West Company.

  Aftermath

  The North West Company renamed the post Fort George and used it as the western center of its Columbia operations. The property later entered the Hudson’s Bay Company network.

  Source

1. 1Fort Astoriaen.wikipedia.org