Naturalists at Fort Vancouver

Naturalist Thomas Nuttall arrived at Fort Vancouver in 1834 and 1835, where he identified several new plants and Northwest birds.

Meredith Gairdner served as a surgeon and trader at Fort Vancouver. During his service there, he also worked as a naturalist, documenting the area's flora and fauna.

Though his primary interests in the Pacific Northwest were economic, American businessman Nathaniel Jarvis Wyeth also supported early efforts by European naturalists in the region.

In the 1820s and 1830s, Scottish naturalist David Douglas used the Hudson's Bay Company's Fort Vancouver as a base for his scientific expeditions in the Pacific Northwest.

Ornithologist John Kirk Townsend visited Fort Vancouver in the 1830s and used the Hudson's Bay Company post as a base for his explorations in the Northwest.

Dr. William Fraser Tolmie worked at Hudson's Bay Company forts in the Pacific Northwest beginning in 1833.

Thanks to the invaluable assistance of Chinook headman Chumtalia, naturalist David Douglas collected specimens of noble fir growing along the Columbia River.

Chinook headman Cockqua provided important assistance to Scottish naturalist David Douglas in the 1820s.

In the 1820s, naturalist John Scouler accompanied David Douglas to the Pacific Northwest and documented the flora and fauna of the region.