Two Northwest Forts

There is no more powerful image of the early west than the fort.  Here we will show two forts with different purposes and many miles from each other.  They are Fort Vancouver near the mouth of the Columbia River (now in Vancouver, WA) and Fort Woop Up a whiskey fort which is now in Lethbridge, Alberta, CANADA.

Fort Vancouver was a Hudson's Bay Company fort that was built somewhat for protection, but mostly for trading with Indians and settlers near the mouth of the Columbia River.

Obviously the walls and the design was to allow people inside the fort to be protected from attack from the outside.

Inside, however, were buildings for trading and to store supplies for trading.

Fort Woop Up looks much like Fort Vancouver.  It was also established for trading, but with a much less obvious focus.

Trading with the Indians was the focus, but the insidious purpose was to get the Indians drunk and take advantage of their drunken state to swindle them. 

This is currently one of the wagons that are used for various events at the fort.