Last updated: June 13, 2024
Place
Parade Ground Tour Stop 3: The Flagstaff
NPS Photo
Quick Facts
Amenities
1 listed
Wheelchair Accessible
The flagstaff in front of you is a modern reconstruction built on the same spot where one stood from 1854 to 1879. Although initially placed slightly to the west of this location, a flagstaff was the first thing the Army erected at their new post. Immediately after the soldiers made their way from the river and through Fort Vancouver, they chose this grassy slope to set up camp. Stripping one of the many nearby Douglas fir trees of branches, they raised the American flag for the first time and named the site Camp Columbia.
The flag, like the Parade Ground as a whole, was an important symbol of the American presence in the Northwest. In 1849, land claim disputes between Britain and the United States over this territory were a recent memory. Between 1818 and 1846, both nations had agreed to let the other settle and trade freely throughout the region. This "joint occupation” had made it possible for the HBC to continue operations like Fort Vancouver. However, with the US increasingly pushing westward and emigrants arriving on the Oregon Trail, joint occupation became less feasible. The 1846 Oregon Treaty settled the border between the United States and Great Britain at the 49th parallel (what is now the border with Canada). Importantly, this treaty did not include Indigenous nations. American claims of sovereignty often meant dispossessing Indigenous people of their land, and forced, violent removal .
Once the Oregon Treaty secured the US claim on paper, the Army was quick to ensure it would remain that way in practice. Raising the flag sent a clear message to the British HBC and Indigenous Tribes: the US had claimed this land, and it was ready to enforce those claims. Although the HBC was allowed to remain in the area, the company’s presence at Fort Vancouver dwindled after 1846, with operations relocating to Canada in 1860.
The first few years at Camp Columbia were difficult. With the California Gold Rush drawing thousands south, labor was hard to find, and goods and resources were scarce and expensive. Soldiers were responsible for producing much of their own food, as well as constructing housing, stables, and other necessary buildings. One of the first buildings to be constructed is directly across the street from you—the Grant House, a log home for the early post commanders. As Stop 6 will explore, the houses alongside it—what would become Officers’ Row—soon followed. However, because of the high cost of lumber and lack of workers, construction remained slow, and most soldiers lived in tents for months. Newly arriving soldiers stayed the winter in Oregon City before more quarters could be built. Records from both officers and enlisted men reveal frustration with challenging conditions, far away from their homes and without regular communication from their loved ones.
In the midst of this discontent, however, Camp Columbia grew and took shape. The Parade Ground immediately became the site of regular drills, training, and ceremonies, reinforcing the post’s identity, and that of its soldiers, as part of the broader US Army and American policy.
Whether they are national flags, religious or cultural symbols, or school or team mascots, symbols are a part of our everyday lives. What are some symbols that are important to you, and why?
The flag, like the Parade Ground as a whole, was an important symbol of the American presence in the Northwest. In 1849, land claim disputes between Britain and the United States over this territory were a recent memory. Between 1818 and 1846, both nations had agreed to let the other settle and trade freely throughout the region. This "joint occupation” had made it possible for the HBC to continue operations like Fort Vancouver. However, with the US increasingly pushing westward and emigrants arriving on the Oregon Trail, joint occupation became less feasible. The 1846 Oregon Treaty settled the border between the United States and Great Britain at the 49th parallel (what is now the border with Canada). Importantly, this treaty did not include Indigenous nations. American claims of sovereignty often meant dispossessing Indigenous people of their land, and forced, violent removal .
Once the Oregon Treaty secured the US claim on paper, the Army was quick to ensure it would remain that way in practice. Raising the flag sent a clear message to the British HBC and Indigenous Tribes: the US had claimed this land, and it was ready to enforce those claims. Although the HBC was allowed to remain in the area, the company’s presence at Fort Vancouver dwindled after 1846, with operations relocating to Canada in 1860.
The first few years at Camp Columbia were difficult. With the California Gold Rush drawing thousands south, labor was hard to find, and goods and resources were scarce and expensive. Soldiers were responsible for producing much of their own food, as well as constructing housing, stables, and other necessary buildings. One of the first buildings to be constructed is directly across the street from you—the Grant House, a log home for the early post commanders. As Stop 6 will explore, the houses alongside it—what would become Officers’ Row—soon followed. However, because of the high cost of lumber and lack of workers, construction remained slow, and most soldiers lived in tents for months. Newly arriving soldiers stayed the winter in Oregon City before more quarters could be built. Records from both officers and enlisted men reveal frustration with challenging conditions, far away from their homes and without regular communication from their loved ones.
In the midst of this discontent, however, Camp Columbia grew and took shape. The Parade Ground immediately became the site of regular drills, training, and ceremonies, reinforcing the post’s identity, and that of its soldiers, as part of the broader US Army and American policy.
Whether they are national flags, religious or cultural symbols, or school or team mascots, symbols are a part of our everyday lives. What are some symbols that are important to you, and why?