• 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

There are park alerts in effect.
show Alerts »

  • Information on Pearson Air Museum

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

Archaeology

Dr. Doug Wilson in the Village

National Park Service Archaeologist Dr. Doug Wilson digs deep during a Public Archaeology Field School excavation in Fort Vancouver's Village

NPS Photo

For the Vancouver National Historic Reserve, archaeology and the collections it creates have a special significance. The material culture, both in the site's collection and still in situ, is what remains of the original sites and their inhabitants. The archaeological artifacts and features are often the primary resources for reconstructing and interpreting the site. Vancouver's role in regional history is reflected in the enormity of the archaeological resources here.

To share the "underground" legacy of this site, we have developed a Public Archaeology Program which includes educational opportunities, special tours, and lectures.

We hope these activities help to share the site in a new way, and involve our visitors in the process of learning from, and working to preserve, cultural resources.

To learn more about archaeology at Fort Vancouver, check out our online archaeological reports here.

Learn more about the 2013 Public Archaeology Field School, taking place in the summer of 2013, here!

 
A student screens for artifacts during the 2011 Public Archaeology Field School
A student screens for artifacts during the 2011 Public Archaeology Field School
NPS Photo

Did You Know?

Image of the interior of the Fort Vancouver NHS collections facility

Did you know that Fort Vancouver National Historic Site curates over two million objects, relating to the American Indian, fur trade, and U.S. Army occupations of the site? More...