Fri 18 June 2010
We struggled to find the Fairbanks Art Center at Oregon State University in Corvalis, Oregon. When we did we were disappointed to find only one relatively small room of relatively bad art. Oh well, live and learn.
So we crossed the Columbia River to see Vancouver, Washington and the reconstructed old Fort Vancouver. This was the main Hudson's Bay Company outpost for all of the Oregon Territory from California to British Columbia. The Chief Factor (boss agent) was John McGloughlin before he moved to Oregon City in 1857. This is the biggest re-created fort I have ever seen. They had huge warehouses for pelts and goods to sell to settlers. McGloughlin was not supposed to help the Americans but he did anyway and eventually became one after the border was settled. They eventually were making their biggest profit from selling to settlers.
The U.S. Army eventually took over the old fort and it still is a working one today. U.S. Grant and George C. Marshall both served at Fort Vancouver and Marshall said it was his favorite post of all. We drove by their houses on officers' row.
There is also a Pearson's Air Museum dedicated to telling the story of aviation pioneers in the Northwest United States. They had great old planes including a Folker DR-1 triplane. I was surprised to learn three Soviet aviators flew over the North Pole starting at Moscow and landing in Fort Vancouver. The Russians consider them the Lindbergs of the USSR. George C. Marshall was commander at the time and treated them to hot baths and new suits of clothes. They were big heros in 1937 anyway. Image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/glennwilliamspdx/3036670993/
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