Factoid 5

Greetings! Your eagle eye, intrepid spirit, and trusty smartphone have led you to some bonus information this holiday season!

We’ve hidden ten QR Codes throughout the site, each one linking to a different holiday-related anecdote.

Now you can thrill your friends and family with amazing factoids of how of Christmas and New Year's Day were celebrated at Fort Vancouver in the past!

Factoid 5

While record of a Christmas tree at Fort Vancouver may never be uncovered, decorations seem to have been an important part of the holiday season, and the abundance of fir, spruce and other evergreen trees perhaps contributed to ornamentation at the fort.

British Army Lt. Henry J. Warre noted that the visiting HMS Modeste was “very prettily decorated and festooned with Holly and Evergreens” in 1845, while at another northwest post Father Blanchet rejoiced in the “garlands and wreaths of green boughs” he found adorning a church.

Source: Gregory P. Shine, “A General Time of Indulgence and Festivity”: Early Winter Holiday Celebrations at the Vancouver National Historic Reserve.