One Coin, Two Sides: The History & Archaeology of Fort Nisqually
Presented by Historian Steve Anderson |
Former director of Fort Nisqually Living History Museum and Renton History Museum
Coins have a head and a tail. Historic sites also have two sides when it comes to discovering their past—historical research and archaeological investigations. In the case of Fort Nisqually, both were called upon to advance this site—once coined the Tacoma park system’s “white elephant.”
In this virtual lecture, historian Steve Anderson—the former director of both the Fort Nisqually Living History Museum in Point Defiance Park and the Renton History Museum—will tell the backstory of the Hudson Bay Company’s progress across North America, including its activities along the Pacific Northwest coast. Then he will explore the topic of Fort Nisqually and how its restoration initially failed but was revived in the 1980s through historical research and archaeology.
About the lecture
The first part of the talk offers broad context: the HBC’s competition-driven expansion, the growth of its coastal network, and how places such as Fort Vancouver and Fort Langley fit into the larger picture across the region and Canada. From there, Anderson tightens the focus to the local landscape, tracing Fort Nisqually’s role within that network and what the site can tell us about the people, commerce, and decision-making that shaped the early Northwest. The final portion looks at what came next—how Fort Nisqually’s story didn’t end with the fur trade but continued through a complicated afterlife. Anderson walks through the key eras of preservation and change: the 1930s restoration efforts, the mid-century decades of retreat and uncertainty (the “bad penny” years), and the renewal that followed, carrying the site forward toward its next milestone: the 200th anniversary.
About the presenter
Working in the history museum field starting in 1980, Steve Anderson initiated the rebirth of the Fort Nisqually Living History Museum using historical research and archaeological findings from other Hudson’s Bay Company sites. Continuing with his own research after leaving the fort in 1990, Anderson authored several books and several articles for The Pacific Northwest Quarterly, Columbia Magazine, and The Cowlitz Historical Quarterly. His seminal work, The Physical Structure of Fort Nisqually, A Preliminary Study on the Structural Development of a Hudson’s Bay Company Site, 1843-1859, (Metropolitan Park District, 1988), remains a benchmark for authentically replicating the fort’s physical structure.
Now retired and living on the “crystal coast” of North Carolina with his wife, Lynn, and poodle, Jasper, Anderson continues researching the fort’s past, paints and draws when the words run dry, and gives presentations on Fort Nisqually when visiting the Pacific Northwest during the summer.
Free For Everyone
Our virtual lectures are a part of our Outreach and Education efforts. They are free to our members and the general public. Recorded lectures are posted on YouTube and on the event page after the event occurs.
For questions about the event or how to register, please contact Tracy Loe ([email protected]) or Sarah Webber ([email protected]).
