Tuesday, July 21, 2009

The Fort


Fort Vancouver in Washington State is a very interesting place, without getting into the academics of interpretation too heavily. Circa 1820's, Fort Vancouver was built and occupied for the next 4 decades by the British/Hudson Bay Trading Company.


Of course my interest in this place is the vast artifacts recovered and documented. Also, the Blacksmith shop, with the bellows and forges as authentic as originally constructed, or at least as close as possible.




The opportunity to be a part of the Cannoneer crew that gets to fire the 3lb cannons and swivel guns is also of interest.

With some practice, study, and sweat I've been constructing some Poll Axes and Hinges. Because of the absolutely tremendous number of artifacts available at the Fort these axes can be very authentic in their reproduction.
BTW, these artifacts are available for public viewing by appointment only, by contacting Fort Vancouver National Park Service.