NPS Photo

Supervisory Park Ranger Kimm Fox-Middleton manages the park's volunteer and special event programs.

A Continuing Legacy

Fortunately, Fort Vancouver's connections to African American History are not relegated to the past. Today, the park continues to craft programs and exhibits that help explore the site's diverse history and connect to diversity of our community.

For example, the park's historian continues ground-breaking research into the Buffalo Soldiers who served at the site, as well as the fascinating story of the manumission of Mommia Travers.

NPS Photo

Members of the Summer Rites of Passage Academy learn about U.S. Army life with Park Rangers each summer at the fort.

In addition, each July the park partners with the local chapter of the NAACP and hosts the Summer Rites of Passage Academy, where African American youth participate with Park Rangers in hands-on activities that help them learn about the site's distinctive history.

Today, we continue to celebrate the park's rich African American heritage and recognize the integral role that diverse voices -- such as those of George Washington, James Douglas, and many others --play in understanding our local, regional, and national history.

Dig deeper...

Please choose one of the links below to continue your exploration of Fort Vancouver's African American heritage! 

Main Page: A Rich Legacy of African American History

• African Americans and the Hudson's Bay Company
• African Americans in the U.S. Army Era
• A Slave Freed at Fort Vancouver
• Buffalo Soldiers at Vancouver Barracks
• A Continuing Legacy
• African American History Links