Fort Okanogan (Okanogan County, Washington)
Okanogan County · Washington · Fur Trade Era
History & Significance
Fort Okanogan was the first official Euro American trading post in the north central Washington area and was the first site in the future state that would raise the American flag. Built on September 1, 1811, at the confluence of the Columbia and Okanogan Rivers, the outpost began as a small house approximately 16 by 20 feet with a cellar to store trade goods.
A council with neighboring Okanagan leaders on October 31, 1811, secured their agreement to maintain friendly relations with the Pacific Fur Company, provide security for the station, and ensure its workers were fed. Clerk Alexander Ross, left in charge, traded more than 1,500 beaver pelts during his first winter in residence.
Following word of an approaching British frigate in October 1813, the Astorians sold their establishments to the North West Company, and the Nor'Westers took possession in April 1814 and immediately began expanding the fort, which by 1816 resembled an actual fort. The reconstructed fortification featured a fifteen feet tall palisade and two bastions, each with a brass four-pound cannon.
After the North West Company merged into Hudson's Bay Company in 1821, the HBC took over operation of Fort Okanogan. Due to the decline of transport business in the area, the HBC abandoned the fort in June 1860. In 2011, budget constraints led to the transfer of the state park to the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, and the Fort Okanogan Interpretive Center became part of the Colville Tribes' History/Archaeology Program.
Key Facts
Map
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🧳 Visiting
What you’ll see when you visit:
- Historic fur trading post (1811) at the confluence of two rivers
- Interpretive center run by Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation
- Archaeological and historical exhibits on the Pacific Fur Company and Hudson's Bay Company era
- Original site now underwater; commemorative park preserves the location's significance
- Scenic setting along the Columbia River valley
Sources
- https://www.historylink.org/File/7522
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Okanogan
- https://www.nps.gov/places/fort-okanogan-interpretive-center.htm
- https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Fort_Okanogan
- https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/pacific_fur_company/