Fort Defiance (British Columbia)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fort Defiance was a small outpost built by the crew of the Columbia Rediviva during the winter of 1791. The crew under the command of American merchant Captain Robert Gray built the establishment on Meares Island in present day British Columbia, Canada.

Contents 1 Location 2 Construction 3 Use 4 See also 5 References

[edit] Location

This winter quarters for the crew was built on Disappointment Inlet on Meares Island.^[1] The island is in Clayoquot Sound off Vancouver Island.^[2] At the inlet, Fort Defiance was on the eastern side where the geography could provide natural defenses against attacks.^[3] Gray named the cove Adventure Cove.^[4]

[edit] Construction

The men of the Columbia began building their winter quarters on September 21, 1791. ^[5] They were done building the main building by September 30.^[6] This main building measured 36 feet long by 18 feet wide and was two stories tall.^[7] Fort Defiance also had a brick fireplace, as the traders had brought with them 5,470 bricks from Boston.^[8] The main building had two cannons mounted and musket loop holes for defending against any native attacks.^[9] Additionally, other building constructed included a blacksmith shop, two sawpits for cutting logs, cabins, and a boat builder’s shed.^[10][11] Once the fort was complete, four cannons, 40 muskets, and various other weapons were transferred from the Columbia and Robert Haswell was placed in charge of the base and ten men.^[12] At this point the focus of Fort Defiance became the construction of the ship Adventure, whose skeleton had been brought aboard the Columbia.^[13]

[edit] Use

On October 3 the keel was laid for the ship.^[14] Over the winter the ship slowly began to take shape.^[15] On February 23, 1792, the ship was launched, making it the first American built vessel in the Pacific Northwest.^[16][17] Once the ship then sailed in March, the fort was abandoned.^[18] However, Gray desired to leave nothing of use to the natives and had Haswell remove anything of value.^[19]

[edit] See also

• Lady Washington
• John Kendrick
• Gray Sails the Columbia River
• History of the West Coast of North America

[edit] References

1. ^ Howay, Frederic W. Voyages of the Columbia to the Northwest Coast. Boston: The Massachusetts Historical Society (1941), p. 247
2. ^ Clayoquot Sound
3. ^ Howay. p. 247
4. ^ Scofield, John. Hail, Columbia: Robert Gray, John Kendrick and the Pacific Fur Trade. Oregon Historical Society Press. 1993. p. 242
5. ^ Howay. p. 247
6. ^ Howay. p. 247
7. ^ Howay. p. 247
8. ^ Scofield. p. 242
9. ^ Howay. p. 382
10. ^ Scofield. p. 242
11. ^ Howay. p. 305
12. ^ Howay. p. 248, 305, 382
13. ^ Scofield, John. p. 241
14. ^ Howay. p. 248
15. ^ Howay, Frederic W., p. 227
16. ^ Howay. p. 313-314, 276
17. ^ Carey, Charles Henry. History of Oregon. Vol. 1: Pioneer Historical Publising Co.:Chicago. 1922. p. 139
18. ^ Howay, Frederic W., p. 314
19. ^ Scofield, John. p. 252