Fort Nez Percés
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| Fort Nez Percés Fur Trade Outpost |
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|---|---|
 Fort Nez Percés in 1818. |
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| Constructed: | 1818 |
| Company built: | North West Company |
| Location: | Wallula, Washington |
| Continent: | North America |
| Later Ownership: | 1821, Hudson's Bay Company |
| Abandoned: | 1857 |
Fort Nez Percés, sometimes also spelled Fort Nez Percé (with or without the accent) and later known as (Old) Fort Walla Walla was a fortified fur trading post on the Columbia River on the territory of modern-day Wallula, Washington. It was in operation from 1818 until 1857.
The fort was founded in July 1818 by the North West Company under the direction of traders Donald MacKenzie[1] and Alexander Ross on the eastern shore of the Columbia River, half a mile north of the mouth of the Walla Walla River and a few miles below the mouth of the Snake River. The location was chosen as a base for expeditions in the Snake River basin. The initial fort was built of timber, with a palisade 20 feet high and six inches thick. Ross became the first chief factor of the fort.[2]
In 1821, the escalating conflicts between the competing North West Company and the Hudson's Bay Company resulted in a forced merger of the two. The Hudson's Bay Company took over all of the North West Company's operations, including Fort Nez Percés, which became an important post for the fur trade and a base for beaver hunting expeditions.
On October 5, 1841, shortly after a visit by Charles Wilkes' expedition, the fort was destroyed by fire and was subsequently rebuilt out of adobe bricks.[3] The fort was again burnt down at the beginning of the Yakima War in 1855. It was rebuilt a second time, but was eventually abandoned in 1857 when the Hudson's Bay Company gave up its business in the Oregon Territory and relocated its headquarters in the Northwest from Fort Vancouver to Fort Victoria.
The U.S. military erected a new Fort Walla Walla in 1858 at Walla Walla, Washington.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ Donald MacKenzie; URL last accessed April 10, 2006.
- ^ University of Montana: Establishment of Fort Nez Percés; URL last accessed April 10, 2006.
- ^ Oregon Historical Society: Fort Nez Percé; URL last accessed April 10, 2006.
- ^ Topinka, L.: Fort Nez Percés; URL last accessed April 10, 2006.
[edit] Further reading
- Stern, Th.: Chiefs and Chief Traders: Indian Relations at Fort Nez Percés, Oregon State University Press 1993. ISBN 0-870-71368-X.
[edit] External links
- Garrison Middle School: Fort Walla Walla.
