NPS Photo

Artifacts in the park's large collection include this coin, probably worn ornamentally due to the small hole drilled in its base.

Archaeological excavations have taken place over the last 50 years, creating a vast collection unparalleled at any other Hudson's Bay Company site.

The collection also encompasses many artifacts of U.S. Army origin, objects which help interpret Vancouver Barracks and early military life in the area.

Currently, the site curates more than two million artifacts, almost 200,000 of which are in the study collection.

Collections from three other National Park Service sites are also stored here: Fort Colville from Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, Whitman Mission National Historic Site's Fort Nez Perces, and Bellevue Farm from the San Juan Island National Historical Park.

In 1995, the entire collection was moved into the Fur Store building; these facilities not only provide a state-of-the-art storage and climate control system for the collection, but also accommodations for researchers.

Dig deeper...

• For a virtual visit to the park's collection, visit our Web Catalog by clicking here.
• To learn about how the library has been transformed into the park's Archives and Reference Collection (ARC), click here.
• If you are interested in viewing the collection onsite, please make an appointment with Curator Tessa Langford at 360-816-6252 or by e-mail.