Officers Row
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
- Hikes including this destination:
- Vancouver Discovery Loop Hike (TH | <— —> | LOG)
- Weather forecast: NWS/NOAA
- Maps: Oregon Hikers Maps Google Maps
- Latitude, Longitude: 45.6277, -122.6585
- Elevation: 110 feet
Description
In 1846, the Oregon Treaty divided the Columbia District at the 49th parallel and the Hudson's Bay Company's Fort Vancouver found itself on American territory. A U.S. Army barracks was established above the Fort and, during the Indian Wars in the West, famous future military leaders such as Ulysses Grant, George Crook, Philip Sheridan, and Benjamin Bonneville were stationed at Fort Vancouver. Before World War II, George Marshall commanded the 5th Infantry Brigade based here. Fort Vancouver became a national monument in 1949 and the last barracks occupied by army reserve units were turned over to the National Park Service in 2012.
There are 22 fully restored period houses on Officers Row. The houses at the east end are all private townhouses. The Marshall House of 1886 has tours and exhibits. You will see many small plaques next to the sidewalk which tell the history of U.S. Army involvement here. Across Evergreen Boulevard, there’s a replica of the old bandstand and the enlisted men's barracks below it. The parade ground is west of the bandstand. The Grant House, finished in 1850, is the oldest building here: it now houses a restaurant. (Although the house is named after him, Grant never stayed here during his 1853-54 tenure as quartermaster.) Walking west past a roundabout, you'll pass the General O.O. Howard House, now headquarters of the Fort Vancouver National Trust, on your left. This is one of the finest old buildings in the area. Then exit the military reserve.
More Links
- "Officers Row, Vancouver, Washington" (The Columbia River: A Photographic Journey)
- Officers Row (Fort Vancouver National Site)
- Officer's Row (City of Vancouver)
- The Grant House
Contributors
- bobcat (creator)