An indispensable point - A historic resource study of the Vancouver Ordnance Depot and Arsenal, 1849-1882
Shine GP. 2008. An indispensable point - A historic resource study of the Vancouver Ordnance Depot and Arsenal, 1849-1882. Historic Resource Study. National Park Service, Department of the Interior
This document provides information about the significance and historical development of the Vancouver Ordnance Depot, later known as the Vancouver Arsenal. As there have been no previous historical studies of the Vancouver Arsenal, and as the topic has been nearly absent in previous historical works on the U.S. Army in the Pacific Northwest, this document serves as the baseline historical documentation of the post. The presentation of these data helps to better determine the eligibility of this historical component for the National Register of Historic Places within the larger complex of the Vancouver National Historic Reserve National Historic District. This document presents not only the post’s historical development, its commanding officers, and sequence of basic events, but it also focuses particularly on building construction – including designs, dates, costs, materials, methods, and repairs – as well as the armament, equipment and stores held onsite throughout the post’s existence. With a goal of informing future site interpretation, it includes information about the post’s personnel, the post’s compelling stories, connections to interpretive themes established in the Historic Reserve’s Long Range Interpretive Plan (2004) and general historical context. This report is organized in three sections. Part I is a brief, general introduction to ordnance and the U.S. Army’s Ordnance Department. Part II outlines the post’s historical development and is crafted in a traditional chronological narrative format. A special emphasis is placed on the post’s early, formative years. Part III is an appendix that includes images, maps, inventories, newspaper articles, and other supplementary documents, including GIS maps showing the post over time, a detailed accounting of the files accessed in the National Archives main building in Washington, D.C., and suggestions for future research.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Shine, Gregory
- Date of Issue
- 2008-12
- Publisher
- National Park Service, Department of the Interior
- Units
- FOVA , HIST
- Keywords
- Army, Arsenal, Construction, Cultural Resources, ehistory, Fort Vancouver, History, Ordnance Depot