City of Vancouver, Clark County, Washington

City of Vancouver Clark County, Washington

Mapped Location

City of Vancouver: The mapped location is an approximation and should not be used for navigation or wayfinding.

Information

General information on City of Vancouver

Feature Type: Incorporated

Official, historical, colloquial and alternative toponyms for City of Vancouver

A brief list of names that this geographic feature has been named

Name	Description
City of Vancouver	Official
Vancouver	Official

Origin Notes and History of City of Vancouver

References to City of Vancouver that document the origin of its place name

VANCOUVER, a town in the southwestern part of Clarke County, is the oldest continuous home of white men in the State of Washington. See Fort Vancouver, Point Vancouver and Clarke County. Samuel R. Thurston was sent to Congress in 1849 as Oregon Territory's first Delegate. He hated the British and sought to remove their geographic names While he was in Washington, the Post-Master General changed the name of Vancouver to Columbia City. (H. H. Bancroft, Works, Volume XXX., pages 118-119, quoting Oregon Statesman for May 28, 1851.) It is annoying to find Bancroft forgetting this information when writing the next volume of his long series. In Volume XXXI., pages 77-78, he has this footnote: "Vancouver is called Columbia City in the act. This patriotic change of name occurred about 1851 or 1852, but I fail to find any mention of it. I think it was done on the motion of the first postmaster at that place, R H Lonsdale, who had the post-office called Columbia City. The name, however, would not pass in the face of long usage, and the Washington legislature at its second session changed it to Vancouver." The act which named "Columbia City" as the county seat of Clarke County located it "on the east side of Mrs. Esther Short's land claim" and Mrs. Short's house was made the legal place of holding court until the county should provide a more suitable building. (Laws of Washington, 1854, page 475.) James C. Strong says that he and another man surveyed that land into lots, blocks and streets. ("Reminiscenses of a Pioneer," in Washington Historical Quarterly, for July, 1912, page 182.) The act by which "Columbia City" was changed back to the old name of Vancouver may be found in Laws of Washington, 1855, page 44. As explained in items above cited, the Vancouver honored by this city's name was Captain George Vancouver, the great English explorer, who named many geographic features in the Pacific Northwest during the years 1792, 1793, and 1794. His biography may be found in Edmond S. Meany's Vancouver's Discovery of Puget Sound, pages 7 to 21. The Indian name for the site of the city is given as Alashikash. (E. S. Curtis, The North American Indian, Volume VII., page 182.)

Edmond S. Meany in Origin of Washington Geographic Names

Meany, Edmond S, Origin of Washington Geographic Names, 1923 UW Press, p 324-325 | Origin of Washington Geographic Names

Related Catalog Titles

A Bibliography for City of Vancouver, Clark County, Washington

Vancouver on the Columbia an illustrated history by Ted Van Arsdol, Sheila Guenther, Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce (Wash)

160 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 28 cm

CIRC [ 1 ]

local histories · 1st ed · Windsor Publications, Northridge, Calif., 1986
Related Catalog Items: City of Vancouver · Clark County

Clark County

Political Boundaries

Last updated: 2017-01-14