To explore the sweep of human history at Fort Vancouver is to grasp some of the essentials of the North American experience. The fort has been part of the major historical trends of the Pacific Northwest for over 150 years, from the effects of colonialism native peoples to the role of the U.S. Army. Native Americans, traders, homesteaders, and soldiers lived and worked at the fort, their lives interwoven and their stories imbedded in the objects they left behind. Exploring Fort Vancouver uses some of the most intriguing objects from the fort's extensive archaeological and archival collections to tell the history of technology, material culture, globalization, health and diet, and the National Park Service at this significant place.

Antiquities, Fort Vancouver National Historic Site (Vancouver, Wash., and Oregon City, Or.) Antiquities, Fortification, Fortification Washington (State) Vancouver, United States Fort Vancouver National Historic Site (Vancouver, Washington, and Oregon City, Oregon), Washington (State) Vancouver

Fort Vancouver: history, archaeology, and the transformation of the Pacific Northwest / Douglas C. Wilson Identity : using objects to "fit in" and "stand out" / Theresa E. Langford Technology : from stone tools to modern technology / Robert J. Cromwell Globalization : new iterations of old patterns of change / Heidi K. Pierson Health : germs, food, and medicine / Heidi K. Pierson The park today / Gregory P. Shine Why collections matter / Tracy A. Fortmann