Factoid 7

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 7

Worship also played an important role in the Christmas Day’s festivities, with various services held in the morning and afternoon for the fort’s diverse population.

Catholic services, in French, took place at the Catholic Church – first inside and then later outside the stockade walls – while other Christian services, in English, were often held in the dining room of the Chief Factor’s House and led by James Douglas, another HBC officer, or a visiting missionary or minister.

By 1844, William Kaulehelehe had begun conducting Christian services in native Hawaiian language for the dozens of Hawaiian employees at the fort.

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