Fort Vancouver Cultural Landscape Report

HISTORIC CHARACTER DEFINING FEATURES (continued)

CIRCULATION

Schematic map of the western third of historic Fort Plain showing circulation patterns.

The development of roads, paths, and water routes at Fort Vancouver was driven by the fort's function as a fur-trading post and agricultural supply depot. The initial focus of circulation centered on the Columbia River which provided a major transportation route for trading and supply vessels. Ocean-going trade included supply ships from London, the Company's coastal trading ships, and occassional Royal Naval vessels and American trading vessels. Downriver traffic traveled from the Dalles, via canoes and other river vessels, carrying passengers, goods, and the annual express from York Factory in Canada. Although the river served as the primary system for moving goods and supplies for the fort, as Fort Vancouver developed, land access within Fort Plain to outlying plains and inland waterways--the Little River and the Big Lake (today Vancouver Lake)--became increasingly more important.

Little is known about the earliest roads and paths surrounding the fort between 1824 and 1828. An 1825 map, the only map from this period, generally shows a single road extending from the river to the stockade in a straight line. [3] The exact location of this road in relation to the second stockade is uncertain, as are the existence or locations of other roads and paths.

During the historic period, 1829-1846, the early sequence of road and path development is ill-defined. Generally, however, documentation suggests circulation initially focused on access from the stockade to the river. Then it gradually expanded outward from the stockade as the need for traveling to developed areas within Fort Plain and to outlying plains increased.

By 1844, principal land access consisted of paths and roads which radiated outward from the Fort stockade. The arrangement of roads around fields and pastures, created a grid-like pattern. While these dirt roads followed fairly well defined routes, due to wet, muddy conditions, their widths and exact locations probably varied slightly both seasonally and over time. [4]

In 1846, primary roads consisted of the north/south running river road; the Lower Mill and the Upper Mill Roads (east/west roads which connected the stockade to other plains); and a road leading northeast to the Back Plains. The river road began at the river below the salt house where ships usually anchored, intersected with Lower Mill Road and continued north between the orchard and Kanaka Village, terminating at the Upper Mill Road. The main entrance gates to the stockade were on the south side. On Lower Mill Road, at the intersection of the river road, a tall wood post and beam gate appeared to have been built as the "formal" entry to the stockade area.

The Back Plains road began at the intersection of Upper Mill Road and the road from the north gate of the stockade, ran north past the school houses then curved northeast across the prairie before entering the forest and continuing northeast to the Back Plains.

By 1846, secondary roads included: a short spur from St. James Mission to the Back Plains road; a road south of, and parallel to, Lower Mill Road (which provided a more direct route between Mill Plain and the riverfront area); and a road running south from the Upper Mill Road barn complex, between fields, and extending past Lower Mill Road.

"Sketch of Fort Vancouver and Adjacent Plains", by Lt. M Vavasour, 1845, showing the physiographic features and circulation patterns of Fort Plain. Fort Vancouver N.H.S. photo file.

Stockade interior

Most details about the circulation patterns in the stockade remain unclear. The two gates on the south side of the stockade served as the main entry between the river and the stockade. At the southwest gate there was a wooden plank road running between the second fur store and the provisions store that ended in the center of the yard. The plank road was eight to ten feet wide and approximately seventy feet long and appeared to be associated with a drainage system. Access from the north side of the stockade was through a gate between the Chief Factor's House and the Priest's house.

Documentation on paths within the stockade is scarce. In the 1846-47 Coode watercolor, it is possible to make out a well-worn dirt path encircling the stockade yard, lying a few yards from the building entries. A U.S. Army map from 1854 shows a network of paths, but it is unknown if they were in use during the historic period. If this network of paths is correct, it is likely they were worn dirt routes rather than formally constructed paths. Except for the plank road, no paths or other circulation features are evident in photographs from 1860.

Kanaka Village

The main access to and from Kanaka Village, traveling north-south, was along the river road, and from the river to the stockade, along Lower Mill Road. Circulation inside the area is unclear. Employee dwellings were apparently organized along roads, but historic maps offer few details on where these roads were located. It is probable some roads ran east-west. For example, in an 1851 sketch, there is a road running from the river road, west past structures identified as "Billy's and Kanaka's" houses. Also, while few roads are delineated on the historic maps, most dwellings are generally sited in an east-west orientation.

Circulation Summary and Analysis

The road system at Fort Vancouver was functional in character and related to the transportation needs of a fur-trading post and a large agricultural establishment. The circulation system began with primary access, which was from the river to the stockade, and expanded to roads within Fort Plain, and to distant farm plains and overland trade routes. Providing access was critical to the success of a remote trading establishment and these early roads and the river front access point became significant landscape features.

Although most of these routes changed somewhat after the HBC occupation, many early roads were used by American settlers and contributed to development of the area by the U.S. Army.

Today, some important portions of the historic circulation pattern are still extant. With few modifications, East Fifth Street is in the same alignment as the historic Upper Mill Road, and has been in continuous use since the historic period. The historic road running north from the stockade's northern gate has been reestablished by the National Park Service. Although the north gate was not the main entrance to the stockade historically, it currently serves as the main pedestrian entrance to the stockade.

In the Vancouver Barracks area of the park, portions of several historic roads still exist. For example, part of McLoughlin Road north of East Fifth Street is still intact. The southern portion of McLoughlin road is no longer intact, but the general alignment is discernible because of the existence of a few remaining large deciduous trees that were planted along the road in 1883. While this road was essentially established by the army in the early 1850s (the northern half may have existed as crude HBC road or path to the cemetery by the late 1840s), it was in existence during the last decade of the HBC period, and is significant to both the late history of the fort and to Vancouver Barracks' history. Research also suggests the southwest part of the Vancouver Barracks road currently named Alvord Road, was probably the beginning portion of the HBC diagonal spur that connected St. James Mission to the road to the Back Plains. [5]

Although most of the above roads reflect important access routes north of the stockade, understanding the circulation related to the overall historic landscape is more difficult since many other roads existing in 1844-46 are no longer extant, and/or have not been reestablished. The most important the missing historic routes are the primary access roads from the river to the stockade. Today there is no pedestrian or road access from the river to the stockade due to the significant alteration of the landscape by major highways and the railroad embankment. The lack of connection between the river and the stockade, and the use of an inaccurate main entry to the stockade, compromise the historic scene and neglect the critical relationship between the Columbia River and Fort Vancouver.