Форт Нес-Персе: История торгового поста на реке Колумбия

Fur trading post in Washington Territory

Fort Nez Percés (or Fort Nez Percé, with or without the acute accent), 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. Despite being named after the Nez Perce people, the fort was in the traditional lands of the Walla Walla. Founded in 1818 by the North West Company, after 1821 it was run by the Hudson's Bay Company until its closure in 1857.

During David Thompson's 1811 voyage down the Columbia River, he camped at the confluence with the Snake River on July 9, 1811. He erected a pole and a notice claiming the country for Great Britain and stating the intention of the North West Company to build a trading post at the site. North West Company managers during an annual meeting in Fort William, gave instructions for a fort to be created near the mouth of the Walla Walla River, a few miles south of the confluence of the Snake and the Columbia. Begun in July 1818 under the direction of traders Donald MacKenzie and Alexander Ross, the fort was constructed by 95 NWC employees. The company officials secured daily provisions for the laborers by trading with visiting Nez Perce.

Constructed on the east bank of the Columbia River, Fort Nez Percés was 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 for its strategic geographic value. The nearby Walla Walla Valley had long been an important rendezvous point for parties working several peripheral fur districts. The 1815 decision by the NWC to refocus the entire New Caledonia region southward to the Columbia River meant greatly increased traffic on the river. Donald MacKenzie intended to open up the Snake River country, adding another operation converging on the area where Fort Nez Percés was built. Essentially all company exports and supplies passed through the Columbia Gorge. The location of Fort Nez Percés at the eastern end of this trunk line to the ocean made it the most important post in the interior. In addition, increasing tensions from occupying the homelands of the local Native Americans necessitated a permanent fortified post. Finally, the area was significant to the Indians. Not only was it a major meeting and trading ground, but it was where Lewis and Clark had first met the indigenous peoples of the Columbia River and had made an informal treaty of friendship.

The fort was built with a double palisade, unique among North West Company forts. The inner wall was 12 feet (4 m) high, and a five foot wide "strong gallery" was located between the two walls. The storehouse and dwellings were within. Trade was conducted via a small hole in the inner wall. The outer palisade was made of planks 20 feet (6 m) high and thick, and topped with a range of balustrades four feet high.</blockquote>

In September 1818, Donald MacKenzie left his new base at Fort Nez Percés to lead a large fur trapping party into the Snake River country. The buildings inside the fort were constructed of a wooden frame with adobe brick walls. Manufacture of the bricks used local "wild rye", and some bricks likely originated from Marcus Whitman's mission.

Manager Rank Tenure Donald McKenzie Proprietor 1818 Alexander Ross Proprietor 1818 1823 John Warren Dease Chief Trader 1823 1825 Samuel Black Chief Trader 1825 1830 George Barnston 1830 1831 Simon McGillivray Jr. Chief Trader 1831 1832 Pierre Pambrun clerk 1832 1840 Pierre Pambrun Chief Trader 1840 1841 Archibald McKinlay clerk 1841 1846 William McBean clerk 1846 1852 Richard Grant Chief Trader 1851 1852 Andrew Pambrun clerk 1852 1855 James Sinclair 1855