Situated within easy walking distance of the city center is Vancouver's – and one of Washington's – most important historical monuments. Comprising an archaeological site, the region's first military post, a waterfront trail and one of the nation's oldest operating airfields, the complex's highlight is the reconstructed Fort Vancouver Historic Site .
At the reconstructed fort, resident rangers and actors in period costume skillfully summon up the era from 1825 to 1845, when the fort was under the sole administration of the British Hudson's Bay Company (the so-called Oregon Country was run jointly by the British and the Americans until 1846). Within the stockaded grounds, you can learn how the fort was once a center for the burgeoning Northwest fur trade and a bulwark in a shaky 40-year alliance between the Americans and the British. As historical presentations go, it's one of the most entertaining and educational walkabouts in the state. Tours generally leave on the hour.
Travelers should also pop into the visitor center – which boasts a small museum and a fascinating video on the Lewis and Clark expedition that wound up near here in November 1805 – and the nearby Pearson Air Museum , devoted to the colorful history of Northwest aviation.
Along the northern side of E Evergreen Blvd are the historic homes of Officers Row . Built between 1850 and 1906 for US Army officers and their families, they are currently rented out as offices and apartments. Three of the homes are open for self-guided tours. Grant House , built in 1850 from logs and later covered with clapboard, now houses a restaurant. Marshall House , home to General George Marshall in the 1930s, is a grand Queen Anne–style mansion. The OO Howard House , built in 1879, was a non-commissioned officer's club during WWII and was restored to its former elegance in 1998. It now houses a small gift shop. Ask at the visitor center about guided walks. Elsewhere, the lovely open spaces of the historic reserve are great places to enjoy a picnic, fly a kite or take a stroll. A land bridge connects the reserve with the Columbia River waterfront.
