Fort Okanogan | |
 Fort Okanogan in 1853 | |
  | |
| Location | Okanogan County, Washington, USA |
|---|---|
| Nearest city | Brewster, Washington |
| Coordinates | 48°06′01″N 119°43′08″W / 48.10028°N 119.71889°W |
| Built | 1811 |
| NRHP reference No. | 73001883[1] |
| Added to NRHP | June 4, 1973 |
Fort Okanogan (also spelled Fort Okanagan but only by nonresident Canadians) was founded in 1811 on the confluence of the Okanogan and Columbia Rivers as a fur trade outpost. Originally built for John Jacob Astor’s Pacific Fur Company, it was the first American-owned settlement within Washington state, located in what is now Okanogan County.[2] The North West Company, the PFC's primary competitor, purchased its assets and posts in 1813. In 1821 the North West Company was merged into Hudson's Bay Company, which took over operation of Fort Okanogan as part of its Columbia District. The fort was an important stop on the York Factory Express trade route to London via Hudson Bay.
In 1846, the Oregon Treaty was ratified, ending the Oregon boundary dispute and the joint-occupation of the Pacific Northwest, though the HBC was allowed to continue use of the fort. However, because of the decline of the transport business in the area, the HBC abandoned the fort in June 1860.[3][4] The fur post's primary use became transportation between other HBC posts, as according to Lloyd Keith and William Brown after 1821 there was no "considerable amount of fur obtained there."[4]
The site of the fort was flooded in 1967 by the reservoir Lake Pateros, formed by construction of Wells Dam.[3]
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
- ^ Gulick 1996, p. 339.
- ^ a b Tate 2005.
- ^ a b Brown 1914.