Fort Okanogan

Fort Okanogan was a fur-trade post established in 1811 at the confluence of the Okanogan and Columbia Rivers in what is now Okanogan County, Washington. It was founded by the Pacific Fur Company, an enterprise associated with John Jacob Astor, as an American effort to compete with the North West Company’s network of interior trading stations. The post is generally regarded as the first American-owned settlement within the present boundaries of Washington state. The location was strategically important because the Okanogan River connected the Columbia River system with inland routes leading toward the northern interior. Before construction, Pacific Fur Company representatives met with local Okanagan leaders, who agreed to maintain friendly relations, assist with food and security, and participate in the emerging trade. The fort consequently depended on Indigenous communities not only for furs but also for salmon, venison, berries and other provisions. Its position also made it useful as a transportation and supply point, even when direct fur production in the surrounding area was limited. The Pacific Fur Company’s position was short-lived. In 1813, the North West Company acquired the company’s assets and posts, and Fort Okanogan continued under North West Company management. The post was rebuilt and strengthened during the 1810s, with a palisade, bastions, artillery, employee housing, storage facilities and a trading shop. Its staff included people of French-Canadian, Hawaiian and Indigenous backgrounds, reflecting the multicultural workforce characteristic of the Pacific Northwest fur trade. Relations with neighboring Indigenous communities could involve both cooperation and disputes, including an incident involving horses taken by Sanpoils during a period of food scarcity; the animals were recovered without violence. In 1821, the North West Company was absorbed into the Hudson’s Bay Company. Fort Okanogan then became part of the Hudson’s Bay Company’s Columbia District and served as a stopping and transfer point on routes associated with the York Factory Express and the movement of supplies between inland posts and the Columbia River. Its commercial importance, however, declined. Company observers reported that the surrounding region produced relatively little fur, while the post’s continuing value lay mainly in facilitating transport to other Hudson’s Bay Company stations. The 1846 Oregon Treaty ended the long boundary dispute between the United States and Britain and terminated the formal basis for joint occupation of the Pacific Northwest, although the Hudson’s Bay Company was permitted to continue using Fort Okanogan. Changes in transportation routes further weakened the post. From 1848, fur brigades increasingly obtained supplies through Fort Hope rather than the Okanogan route. The Hudson’s Bay Company considered abandoning the station during the 1850s and finally removed its remaining goods and property in June 1860. No buildings remained by about 1880, after local American and Chinese miners salvaged timber from the deteriorating site. The historic site later became associated with Fort Okanogan State Park and the Fort Okanogan Interpretive Center. The park overlooked the original location and the Columbia River and presented exhibits on the fur trade, the fort, Indigenous history and regional settlement. In 1967, the original site was flooded by Lake Pateros, the reservoir created behind Wells Dam. In 2011, budget pressures led Washington State to transfer the park from state ownership to the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. The interpretive center is operated through the Colville Tribes’ history and archaeology program and generally opens seasonally. Fort Okanogan is therefore best understood today as a historic place and interpretive heritage site rather than an operating commercial brand.

Fort Okanogan was established in 1811 by the Pacific Fur Company at the junction of the Okanogan and Columbia Rivers. The site was selected as part of the company’s attempt to challenge the North West Company’s established inland network, including Spokane House. Pacific Fur Company representatives traveling up the Columbia River held discussions with local Okanagan leaders on 31 October 1811. The resulting relationship provided the new post with local assistance, food and security while creating opportunities for trade and beaver trapping. The fort’s first period was precarious. Its personnel operated far from the company’s main base at Astoria, and the station’s early managers depended heavily on Indigenous communities for salmon, venison and other provisions. In 1813, the North West Company purchased the Pacific Fur Company’s assets and assumed control of Fort Okanogan. Alexander Ross continued as manager for a time, and Ross Cox became the officer in charge in 1816. Cox oversaw substantial rebuilding, including a tall palisade, two bastions equipped with brass four-pound cannons, employee quarters, a storehouse and a trading shop. The post employed French-Canadian, Hawaiian and Indigenous workers and maintained relations with several neighboring communities. The station’s history included both exchange and occasional conflict. Farming attempts were undermined by mice and frost, so the post remained reliant on local food systems. Workers consumed large quantities of salmon, venison, berries and wapato. During one winter, Sanpoils took company horses because of severe food pressure. Cox traveled with French-Canadian and Hawaiian employees and Okanagan guides led by Red Fox to recover the animals. The horses were returned without fighting, partly because the company wished to avoid provoking future attacks on fur brigades traveling from Spokane House. In 1821, the North West Company merged into the Hudson’s Bay Company. Fort Okanogan became part of the Hudson’s Bay Company’s Columbia District and was incorporated into the company’s overland transport system. Officials and supplies traveling between the Columbia River and inland posts passed through the station, and the fort was associated with the York Factory Express route toward Hudson Bay and London. By the mid-1820s, more than 40 Indigenous and non-Indigenous laborers were present at the post, although its food supply still depended primarily on local production rather than successful agriculture. Fort Okanogan’s role gradually shifted from active fur trading to transportation support. Hudson’s Bay Company Governor George Simpson observed in 1841 that the post was maintained mainly to facilitate transport for other stations because few fur-bearing animals were available nearby. The 1846 Oregon Treaty settled the boundary dispute between the United States and Britain. Although the treaty ended joint occupation, the Hudson’s Bay Company retained permission to use the fort. The post’s transportation value declined after 1848, when brigades increasingly received supplies through Fort Hope instead of the Okanogan Trail. The Hudson’s Bay Company considered closure from 1853 onward. The company was also negotiating issues concerning its American property and did not want to surrender its basis for land claims prematurely. François Duchouquette, the son of departing manager Joachin La Fluer, was instructed to remain at the station. In June 1860, Duchouquette was ordered to remove the remaining supplies and property. He departed with a pack train on 18 or 19 June, effectively ending the fort’s operating history. Later visitors reported that Indigenous people from the surrounding region had gathered to help pack the goods, which were placed in rawhide containers and loaded onto approximately 150 horses. The abandoned structures deteriorated and were later stripped for timber by miners. No buildings remained by about 1880. The site was subsequently commemorated through Fort Okanogan State Park and the Fort Okanogan Interpretive Center, which interpreted the fur trade, local Indigenous history and regional settlement. The original location was flooded in 1967 when Wells Dam created Lake Pateros. In 2011, Washington State transferred the park to the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation because of budget constraints. The interpretive center continues as a seasonal heritage facility administered through the tribes’ history and archaeology program.

• 2011

  Park transferred to Colville Tribes

  [1]Fort Okanoganen.wikipedia.org

  Fort Okanogan State Park was transferred from Washington State to the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.

• 1967

  Original site submerged

  [1]Fort Okanoganen.wikipedia.org

  The reservoir Lake Pateros flooded the historic location after construction of Wells Dam.

• 1860

  Hudson’s Bay Company abandons the fort

  [1]Fort Okanoganen.wikipedia.org

  Remaining goods and property were removed in June, ending the post’s practical operation.

• 1848

  Okanogan Trail transport role declines

  [1]Fort Okanoganen.wikipedia.org

  Fur brigades increasingly obtained supplies from Fort Hope rather than Fort Okanogan.

• 1846

  Oregon Treaty ratified

  [1]Fort Okanoganen.wikipedia.org

  The treaty ended the Oregon boundary dispute and joint occupation while allowing the Hudson’s Bay Company to continue using the post.

• 1821

  Hudson’s Bay Company takes over

  [1]Fort Okanoganen.wikipedia.org

  The merger of the North West Company and Hudson’s Bay Company placed Fort Okanogan within the Hudson’s Bay Company’s Columbia District.

• 1816

  Fort rebuilt under Ross Cox

  [1]Fort Okanoganen.wikipedia.org

  A palisade, bastions, artillery, staff housing, storage space and a trading shop were completed or improved during the rebuilding period.

• 1813

  North West Company acquires the post

  [1]Fort Okanoganen.wikipedia.org

  The North West Company purchased the Pacific Fur Company’s assets and assumed control of Fort Okanogan.

• 1811

  Pacific Fur Company establishes Fort Okanogan

  [1]Fort Okanoganen.wikipedia.org

  The Pacific Fur Company founded the post at the confluence of the Okanogan and Columbia Rivers to compete with the North West Company.

A historic Pacific Northwest fur-trade site interpreted through Indigenous, colonial, transportation and regional-settlement history.

• 1860

  Hudson’s Bay Company closure of Fort OkanoganStrategy

  Background

  Declining transport use, limited nearby fur resources and changing routes made the station difficult to justify.

  Action taken

  The company removed its remaining goods and property and withdrew its resident caretaker.

  Aftermath

  The post was abandoned and its structures later disappeared.

  Source

• 1821

  Merger of the North West Company into the Hudson’s Bay CompanyM&A

  Background

  The merger consolidated the two major British North American fur-trade networks operating in the region.

  Action taken

  Hudson’s Bay Company assumed operation of Fort Okanogan as part of its Columbia District.

  Aftermath

  The fort’s primary function increasingly became transport and supply support rather than high-volume local fur procurement.

  Source

• 1813

  North West Company acquisition of Pacific Fur Company assetsM&A

  Background

  The Pacific Fur Company’s post network was acquired by its principal competitor, transferring Fort Okanogan to North West Company control.

  Action taken

  The North West Company took over the fort and retained it as part of its inland trading network.

  Aftermath

  Fort Okanogan continued operating and was later absorbed into the Hudson’s Bay Company system.

  Source

1. 1Fort Okanoganen.wikipedia.org