The Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) was given a royal charter by the British Crown in 1670 which provided it with a trading monopoly over a vast domain in Canada. By the nineteenth Century, HBC had extended its empire into the Pacific Northwest. In 1825, HBC established Fort Vancouver on the Columbia River as the administrative center and principal supply depot of the Columbia Department, an area of about 700,000 square miles. Fort Vancouver has been part of the National Park System since 1948.
This building was originally used as the quarters for Captain Thomas Baillie of the British sloop HMS Modeste which was anchored at Fort Vancouver. While Captain Baillie departed after 18 months, the building became the Counting House: the administrative center for the Columbia Department. Here clerks kept records of incoming and outgoing goods, employee pay and expenditures, and completed annual reports.
According to the display:
“As headquarters for Hudson’s Bay Company’s Columbia Department, and with responsibility for more than one thousand employees and two dozen forts, Company clerks needed space to track operations. The Office provided that space; it served as the financial and administrative nerve center of Company operations in the Columbia Department.”
Captain Baillie
Captain Thomas Baillie entered the Royal Navy at the age of 16 and was promoted to the rank of Captain in 1845 at the age of 34.
In 1845, there were tensions between the United States and Great Britain regarding the boundary between their territories in the Northwest. Britain sent six naval vessels to the Pacific coast. The Modeste, which was armed with 18 guns and had a crew of 90 (which included a contingent of Royal Marines), anchored at Fort Vancouver to provide protection for British interest in the area.
According to the display:
“Although a military presence, Captain Baillie and his crew became ambassadors, attempting to cultivate cordial relations with American settlers. They presented plays, arranged dances, and put on curling matches and horse races attended by American settlers and fort employees.”
When the boundary dispute was settled through diplomacy, the Modeste departed in 1847.
Shown above is a drawing of one of the dances.
One room in the Counting House displays Captain Baillie’s quarters.
More Museums 101
Museums 101: The Fort Vancouver Surgeon's Quarters (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: The Blacksmith Shop at Fort Vancouver (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: The Fort Vancouver Fur Warehouse (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: Historic Archaeology at Fort Vancouver (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: The Maki Homestead Cabin (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: A homestead kitchen (photo diary)
Museums 101: Washington Frontier Towns (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: Apple Capital of the World! (photo diary)