1843-1869 Fort Nisqually Site

In 1843 the decision was made to move the 1833 Fort Nisqually site inland about a mile on the banks of Sequalitchew Creek which provided a freshwater supply. In 1838, with the decline of the need for furs, the HBC shifted more into farming with the creation of the subsidiary called the Puget Sound Agricultural Company. In 1846, the Oregon Treaty was signed, giving the United States rights to the land south of the 49^th parallel. After lengthy negotiations, in 1869 the U.S. government paid a settlement of $650,000 to the Hudson's Bay Company for its holdings, closing Fort Nisqually in 1870.

The 1833 Fort Nisqually site could not fit the growing demands of the HBC and PSAC employees and was half a mile from freshwater. In 1843, a new larger Fort Nisqually was built a mile in land where it was closer to the Sequalitchew Creek. PSAC developed a farm on the north side of the creek and utilized part of the Edmond's Marsh land by digging ditches to drain the water.

In 1846, the Oregon treaty was signed giving the United States the land south of the 49^th parallel and placed the fort on American soil. Negotiations lasted for many years when in 1869 the U.S. government paid the company $650,000 for the properties in the Pacific Northwest.

Dr. William F. Tolmie was the chief factor for the new fort site until 1859 when he transferred to Victoria, B.C. His successor was Edward Huggins who ran the fort until its closure. Edward Huggins became a U.S. citizen and laid claim to the Fort Nisqually property ending up with around a thousand acres. He used the land as a farm and maintained a trading post until it became unprofitable. In 1906 he sold the land to the DuPont Company.

In 1934 the Tacoma Young Mens Club, received permission from the DuPont Company to move the Factor's House and old Granary building to Point Defiance where a replica Fort Nisqually was built.

Carpenter, Cecelia Svinth. Fort Nisqually: A Documented History of Indian and British Interaction. Tahoma, WA. Tahoma Research , 1986.

Crooks, Drew. Fort Nisqually, Accessed June 24th 2021. https://www.dupontmuseum.com/fort-nisqually.