• Image of the reconstructed stockade at Fort Vancouver and Pearson Air Museum looking northeast from the Land Bridge.

    Fort Vancouver

    National Historic Site OR,WA

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  • Information on Pearson Air Museum

    Information about Fort Vancouver National Historic Site assuming direct operational responsibility for Pearson Air Museum. More »

Costumed Interpretation

Two boys from the Young Engage School.
Two boys from the Young Engagé School salute.
NPS photo

 

Fort Vancouver offers two tracks that train youth in historic interpretation, providing cultural demonstrations, and in speaking to the public. Both training pathways are modeled after historic schools and other ways in which youth learned and developed skills at Fort Vancouver in the 1840s. The goals of the schools today are for students to:

 

 

  • Acquire knowledge about Fort Vancouver National Historic Site history, archaeology, and museum collections.
  • Learn what was required for maintaining a household on the 19th century frontier.
  • Learn 19th century social behavior and life skills.
  • Train in costumed and basic interpretation (public speaking/information sharing).
  • Gain practical experience in cultural demonstrations, programs, events, and offsite presentations.

Check out these links to learn more!

History of the Schools

Dame School Curriculum

Young Engagé School Curriculum

Second Year School Curriculum

Advanced Youth Interpreters

Are You a Candidate?

Application Timeline

Apply Now!

School Schedule

Did You Know?

An HBC beaver trap from the collection at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site

As the fur trade-era depot and headquarters for the Hudson's Bay Company's Columbia Department, did you know that over 61,000 animal pelts were shipped from Fort Vancouver to England in 1843 alone? This and many other stories are interpreted at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. More...