Part of a series of articles titled Vancouver Barracks in the 1880s.
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Vancouver Barracks in the 1880s: Entertaining the Enlisted Men
NPS Photo, Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, FOVA 188470
In the 1880s, there was a flurry of construction at Vancouver Barracks. The Army wanted the post to be modernized, with new telephone lines and other updated infrastructure, as well as an elegant and attractive place for the officers and soldiers stationed here. Vancouver Barracks also had to coexist with Vancouver, a city on the rise. While the Army post provided entertainment and prestige for Vancouver, civilians were less enthused about the soldiers' after-hours activities in Vancouver's saloons.
Vancouver Barracks post commander Colonel Henry A. Morrow knew the Army needed to create a more self-sufficient military post, one where soldiers had enough resources and entertainment and would be less likely to go into Vancouver or cross the Columbia River to Portland, Oregon. The Vancouver Barracks Guardhouse was regularly populated by soldiers who had partied too hard in local saloons, had gone AWOL (Absent Without Leave), had gotten into fights, caused public disturbances, or simply overslept the next morning.
Additionally, the 1870s and 1880s gave rise to the temperance movement, and saw the creation of groups like the Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). This movement to ban alcohol in the United States was closely connected to the fight for womens' suffrage. Alcohol abuse was identified as a problem that particularly impacted women, who were often economically reliant on their husbands and could be subject to a variety of hardships if their husbands were dependent on alcohol. The growing popularity of the temperance movement eventually resulted in the national prohibition on alcohol in the early 20th century.
In 1880, Col. Morrow led the creation of the Vancouver Canteen, a cozy, homey place where soldiers could read newspapers and magazines, get a cup of coffee and a sandwich, and write and send letters to their families and friends. The Canteen was popular, and the idea spread to other regional military posts. At posts with canteens, those in charge found that disciplinary problems were reduced as soldiers were less likely to get in trouble off base.
In an odd juxtaposition, the first Canteen at Vancouver Barracks was located on the upper floor of the post's Guardhouse, where prisoners were kept. In 1886, it was relocated to a small building north of the Gymnasium, along today's Fort Vancouver Way. The Canteen expanded over the course of the 1880s. Billiards tables were added, as well as cards and board games.
The success of the Vancouver Canteen gave birth to the Army's Post Exchange system. By the turn of the century, the consensus among officers was that the creation of the canteen system brought about fewer desertions, less drunkenness and alcoholism, and had a positive effect on morale.
After the 1880s, the Vancouver Barracks Canteen, later the Post Exchange, moved to progressively larger or newer buildings. Today, this legacy is continued at the Post Exchange Convenience Store, located at 754 Vancouver Barracks.
Vancouver Barracks post commander Colonel Henry A. Morrow knew the Army needed to create a more self-sufficient military post, one where soldiers had enough resources and entertainment and would be less likely to go into Vancouver or cross the Columbia River to Portland, Oregon. The Vancouver Barracks Guardhouse was regularly populated by soldiers who had partied too hard in local saloons, had gone AWOL (Absent Without Leave), had gotten into fights, caused public disturbances, or simply overslept the next morning.
Additionally, the 1870s and 1880s gave rise to the temperance movement, and saw the creation of groups like the Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). This movement to ban alcohol in the United States was closely connected to the fight for womens' suffrage. Alcohol abuse was identified as a problem that particularly impacted women, who were often economically reliant on their husbands and could be subject to a variety of hardships if their husbands were dependent on alcohol. The growing popularity of the temperance movement eventually resulted in the national prohibition on alcohol in the early 20th century.
In 1880, Col. Morrow led the creation of the Vancouver Canteen, a cozy, homey place where soldiers could read newspapers and magazines, get a cup of coffee and a sandwich, and write and send letters to their families and friends. The Canteen was popular, and the idea spread to other regional military posts. At posts with canteens, those in charge found that disciplinary problems were reduced as soldiers were less likely to get in trouble off base.
In an odd juxtaposition, the first Canteen at Vancouver Barracks was located on the upper floor of the post's Guardhouse, where prisoners were kept. In 1886, it was relocated to a small building north of the Gymnasium, along today's Fort Vancouver Way. The Canteen expanded over the course of the 1880s. Billiards tables were added, as well as cards and board games.
The success of the Vancouver Canteen gave birth to the Army's Post Exchange system. By the turn of the century, the consensus among officers was that the creation of the canteen system brought about fewer desertions, less drunkenness and alcoholism, and had a positive effect on morale.
After the 1880s, the Vancouver Barracks Canteen, later the Post Exchange, moved to progressively larger or newer buildings. Today, this legacy is continued at the Post Exchange Convenience Store, located at 754 Vancouver Barracks.
Last updated: June 24, 2021