Fort Vancouver Historic Structures Report

Construction details

a. Dimensions and footings. All three versions of the remarkably accurate Vavasour ground plan of late 1845 agree in depicting the long (north-south) dimension of the Blacksmith's Shop as measuring about fifty feet. On the two original versions the width (east-west dimension) scales out at approximately twenty-six to twenty-seven feet, each differing slightly from the other; but the copy published in the Oregon Historical Quarterly in 1909 gives the width as thirty feet (see Plates VI, VII, VIII, vol. I). According to the 1846-47 inventory, the "Forge" measured forty-five by thirty feet. [32]

Unfortunately, it appears that archeological surveys may not have yet resulted in a complete resolution of the problem caused by the discrepancies in the historical evidence. After preliminary testing in 1947, Mr. Louis R. Caywood excavated the apparent perimeter of the Blacksmith's Shop site in 1952. Published descriptions of his results are not as detailed as could be wished, but evidently he found a short piece of plank at each of the northwest and northeast corners. These perhaps were fragments of "soles," or they may have been footings. At any rate, it is not completely certain that they actually marked the northern corners of the building. Two long inter secting "planks" at what was evidently the southwest corner of the smithy were interpreted as being "soles" and apparently defined the positions of the west and south walls of the structure. If Mr. Caywood was correct in interpreting his findings as marking the smithy outlines, the building measured approximately forty-five by twenty-seven feet. [33]

During the fall of 1973 a more detailed excavation of the site of Building No. 22 was begun under the supervision of Mr. J. J. Hoffman, but the work had not been completed by the time this chapter was written. As of April 11, 1974, the data available was not sufficient to enable a determination of the exact smithy dimensions. [34]

In preparing the plans for the reconstructed Blacksmith's Shop, therefore, architects will wish to give careful attention to the final reports on the archeological excavations at this site. Meanwhile, the dimensions of forty-five by twenty-seven feet may be considered as reasonably correct and the best estimate currently available.

The 1973-74 archeological explorations have already been of much value in another respect, however. They have uncovered subsurface wooden footings spaced "at regular intervals" as at most other building sites in the fort. Framing sills at "ground level, or slightly below," rested on these footings. [35]

These findings prove at least two points: first, that Mr. Caywood's excavations, which after all were only intended to locate the fort buildings, were not deep enough to reveal the true foundation structure and that his plank "soles" were not the actual foundations; and, second, that the Blacksmith's Shop was constructed in the Canadian or post-on-sill style of most of the buildings at Fort Vancouver.

b. General construction. No clear pictures and no plans of the Blacksmith's Shop are known to exist, although several sketches and paintings of the 1840s provide glimpses of the roof (see Plates IV, XIV, XV, XVI, and LIII, vol. I). Frustratingly, the views that might be expected to be most useful, those by Henry J. Warre (Plates IX and X, vol. I, and XLII, this vol.), are of no value whatever in the present case, because the representation of the structures in the southeast corner of the fort appears to be incomprehensible when compared with the facts as presented by Vavasour's accurate ground plan of approximately the same date.

However, there are enough data available to provide a reasonably complete general description of the building. As shown by the sketches, particularly that by Paul Kane (Plate XIV, vol. I), the shop was an unusually low structure for Fort Vancouver, with the eave line well below the tops of the pickets and, in fact, with the ridge of the roof not much higher than the palisade. The roof was gabled, with the ridge running north and south. This evidence agrees with the testimony of one well-qualified witness who swore that the "blacksmith's forge" was only one story high. [36]

The archeological evidence already cited proves that the walls were of the usual post-on-sill construction. The Emmons journal (Plate III, vol. I) indicates that there were four "furnaces," or forges, but rather strangely no chimney can be positively identified in any known view. Furthermore, the findings of the archeologists, to be cited in detail later in this section, reveal that the Blacksmith's Shop had a dirt floor.

All in all, the general construction of the "forge" at Fort Vancouver appears not to have been very different from that of the smithy at the subordinate post of Fort Colvile. A committee of appraisers reported in 1866 that Fort Colvile contained "a smith shop 20 by 15 feet, and eight feet high, walls grooved-posts set in the ground and filled between with flatted timber, no floor, bark roof, much decayed." [37]

Walls. The footing pattern uncovered by archeologists during 1973-74 demonstrates conclusively that the walls were of the usual post-on-sill construction. Because they appear to be so low in available pictures and because of the comparative data from Fort Colvile, it is probable that the walls rose only about eight feet above the sills, or possibly slightly more due to the relatively large size of the building when compared with the smithy at Fort Colvile. The walls of the restored blacksmith's shop at Lower Fort Carry are planned to be only eight feet three inches high including sills and plates. That structure was only twenty-six by eighteen feet in size (see Plate LI).

Because the smithy was one of the earlier structures standing in 1845-46, having been erected between about 1836 and 1841, and be cause the Company ordinarily paid scant attention to fine finish in its workshops, it probably would not be amiss to employ hewn timbers in the reconstruction. As has been discussed elsewhere witnesses were about equally divided as to whether the wall timbers at Fort Vancouver were sawed or hewn, and it is possible that both positions were correct in part. [38]

In such a structure, the ceiling or tie beams would have been morticed into the plate and not into the wall timbers. In other words, there would have been no garret of the usual type (i.e., with low walls that were upward extensions of the building walls above the ground-floor ceiling).

Undoubtedly the walls of the gable ends of the smithy above the plates were closed in with vertical board siding. Probably this siding was similar to that shown in Plate LI. It will be noted that in the Lower Fort Garry blacksmith shop there was no framing behind this siding other than the cross-tie beam and end rafters (see Plate L).

In the framing of this building during the reconstruction absolutely no diagonal bracing should be used--except possibly for horizontal tie beams morticed into the plates across the four corners--unless it can be completely concealed within the infill timbers.

Roof. As has been seen, the Blacksmith Shop had a gable roof with the ridge line running north and south. No drawing provides sufficient detail to permit a firm decision as to whether the roof was covered with vertical boards or with shingles. Because it was a workshop and because of its early date, the smithy could still very well have had a board roof during Outfit 1845. The construction of such roofs is described on pages 114-15 in volume I of this report and under the heading "Roof" in Chapter II of this volume.

Doors. The Emmons ground plan of 1841 shows only one entrance to the Blacksmith's Shop, and that was in its west wall somewhat north of the center (see Plate III vol. I). Archeologists excavating during 1973-74 have found evidence of what probably was this same door. [39] Their final report undoubtedly will provide information as to its exact location and width.

It seems reasonable to assume that there was at least one other door in the Blacksmith's Shop, particularly by the latter half of 1845 when it is known that the Iron Store was standing directly to the east of the smithy. Almost certainly there must have been a more direct route for bringing the heavy iron and steel stock into the smithy than a circuitous path around to a door on the west side.

There is no information whatever as to the size and appearance of the smithy door or doors. Hopefully the archeologists will at least be able to determine the width of the openings. If, as seems likely, one of the doors should prove to be double, the architectural drawings of the Lower Fort Garry blacksmith shop might prove useful for design purposes (see Plate XLIX).

If one of the doors was a double door, there is a strong possibility that it was approached from the exterior by a wide wooden ramp. Because the sill undoubtedly was low, the ramp would not have been absolutely required in order to permit horses and vehicles to enter the shop, but it would have served to protect the interior from the mud that plagued the fort's inhabitants during the winter. A plan for such a ramp at another H.B.C. post is shown in Plate LIII.

Windows. Nothing concerning the number, location, or type of windows is revealed by the historical record. One can only speculate that there may have been two windows each in the north and south walls and about four each in the east and west walls.

It seems impossible to state a stronger case for double-hung windows than for casement windows. Either type could have been employed. If it is decided to use the double-hung variety in the reconstruction, the framing and sash details for an H.B.C. window at Lower Fort Garry, shown in Plate XLIX, may be useful.

Chimney or chimneys. No chimney can be seen for sure in any available picture showing the smithy roof. On the 1846-47 pencil sketch by Paul Kane (Plate XIV, vol. I) a low mass depicted rising slightly above the ridge line from the west side of the smithy might represent a chimney, but there seems no way to be certain.

Yet it is virtually certain that there were one or more chimneys. The plans for the reconstructed H.B.C. smithy at Lower Fort Garry call for a massive chimney for a single forge (see Plate LII), whereas there were four forges in the shop at Vancouver. For another example of a massive chimney on a Company blacksmith shop, see Plate LIV. It is possible that a single chimney could have served several forges. At Fort Vancouver it is probable that the chimneys would have been of brick, though local stone could have been used for a structure erected as early as the late 1830s.

Exterior finish. The painting of Fort Vancouver by an unknown artist in 1847-48 shows the upper section of the north wall within the gable as dark brown in color. Undoubtedly that portion of the wall and the entire rest of the Blacksmith Shop were unpainted, except for the doors and windows. The doors and the door and window frames were probably Spanish brown, while the window sash was probably white. Almost surely there was no weatherboarding on the Blacksmith's Shop. Also, there probably was no visible chinking.

c. Interior finish and arrangement. The interior of the Blacksmith's Shop probably was entirely open, without interior partitions and without posts supporting the ceiling or tie beams. In other words, those beams were of a clear span.

The inventory of 1846-47 does not list the "Forge" as being lined or ceiled, and undoubtedly it was not. Company workshops of this type were seldom carefully finished on the inside. Almost surely the walls and open beams of the smithy looked very much like those of the boat .shed shown in Plate LV. In fact, that picture might well serve as a guide in designing the reconstructed Blacksmith's Shop (except for the diagonal metal braces that undoubtedly were later additions made when several of the tie beams were removed). It will be noted that the boat shed was open to the roof above the tie beams and that stored materials were laid across the beams.

It may safely be assumed that the Blacksmith Shop was not painted on the inside.

Floor. Archeological evidence uncovered both in 1947-52 and in 1973-74 clearly indicates that the Blacksmith Shop floor was of hard packed earth. Particularly in the forge areas, layers of cinders, coal dust, burned earth, and "smithing detritus," all well packed, indicated prepared working surfaces. Archeologists have determined that the blacksmiths customarily dug temporary soaking or annealing pits in the shop floor. When no longer needed, the holes were filled, and the locations once more became part of the floor. [40]

Forges, anvil bases, etc. There is impressive historical evidence to the effect that there were four forges in the Blacksmith Shop known today as Building No. 22. Lieutenant Emmons, on his plan of 1841, definitely said that the shop he portrayed contained "4 furnaces" (Plate III, vol. I). Dr. H. A. Tuzo, who lived at Fort Vancouver during the 1850s, later testified that the "blacksmith's forge" contained, in addition to "other apparatus," two "ordinary" forges and two "very large" ones for ship work and similar tasks. [41]

Archeologists have not yet located the remains of more than one or possibly two forges. When their work is completed, evidence of four forges may have been found. If not, studies of nineteenth-century blacksmith's shops may reveal that one foundation could have served for at least two forges.

The inventories reproduced later in this chapter seem to support the presence of four forges, at least to the extent that they included four anvils, four fire shovels, four pairs of bellows, four rakes, and four sets of hammers. To date, archeologists have located only two anvil bases, but probably further excavation will reveal two more.

Anvil bases were simply the butts of substantial logs set deeply into the dirt floor. This fact is known both from actual remains uncovered in the Fort Vancouver smithy and from comparative data (see Plates XLVIII and L).

The design and construction of nineteenth-century forges is a subject too technical to be treated in this historical report. They should be the topic of a special study. For the purposes of preliminary planning, however, the information concerning the forge at Lower Fort Garry presented in Plate LII should be useful.