## We could have been British!

Visit our replica of historic Fort Umpqua and take a step back in time to the mid-1800’s. The original Fort Umpqua was a trading fort and the southernmost outpost of the Hudson’s Bay Company. It was located a mile upriver and is credited with introducing cultivated agriculture to the Umpqua River Valley.

The Hudson’s Bay Company employees at Fort Umpqua came from a variety of backgrounds: America, England, France, Scotland, Canada and the Sandwich Islands (now Hawaii). You can take a self-guided tour and learn more about the men who lived at the fort and the tribal communities that lived in the area from interpretive signage any time ECEC is open. Student tour guides are available between mid-June and Labor Day weekend.

###### BEST TIME TO VISIT

Memorial Day through Labor Day.

## Make your own History

Today, Fort Umpqua is a host site for those who are interested in exploring the area’s history from the mid-1800s and having a hands-on type of experience. The fort complex was built by volunteers and includes 12′ high stockade walls, a trade building, the men’s quarters, and a blacksmith’s shed that were all based on the original fort design.

Check our **calendar of events** for kids’ activities and re-enactment events at the fort.

Fort Umpqua is located beside the river and can be accessed by a walking path or driveway. Site maps are available on-site or you can click here to see the different paths you can take.

## Take a virtual tour of the Fort

Take a look at these videos about Fort Umpqua that were produced by one of our Youth Employment Program graduates, Grace Lyons.

The first video talks about when it was originally built and items that were traded at the Fort back in the 1800’s.

The second video talks about the layout of the Fort and folks that lived and worked there back then.

## Would you like to learn more?

Follow these links to learn more about:

Fort Vancouver – A 19th-century fur trading post that was the headquarters of the Hudson’s Bay Company’s Columbia Department.

Fort Nisqually – An important fur trading and farming post of the Hudson’s Bay Company in the Puget Sound area, part of the Hudson’s Bay Company’s Columbia Department.

Douglas County Museum – An interpretive center where you can learn Douglas County’s role in Oregon.

American Mountain Man Society – An association of individuals dedicated to the preservation of the traditions and ways of the mountain man.

Oregon Heritage Fair (Eugene)

*This site is located within the traditional homelands of the Komemma Kalapuya. People from the tribes of the Yoncalla, Kalapuya, Umpqua, Lower Umpqua, Coos, Tututni and Siuslaw all spent time here, traveled and traded here. *

*The Hudson’s Bay Company had a policy of not antagonizing the indigeneous people, but their presence still played a role in the transformation of the culture and land of the Umpqua Valley. *

*We are learning more about the relationship between the people who worked at Fort Umpqua and the people who lived on the land when they arrived, and look forward to sharing that with you.*