Beneath the Barracks: Archeology Considerations for Utilities Upgrades

Preparation for the redevelopment of East Vancouver Barracks resulted in extensive archaeology. Test units were excavated across the site to document the extent of archaeological sites. NPS Photo

When Fort Vancouver National Historic Site took over the U.S. Army’s Vancouver Barracks in 2012, many of the utilities systems were decades old – some had not been updated since they were built in the first half of the 20th century. Bringing those systems up to standard was a top priority for creating a sustainable, historic campus for public service.

Over the past decade, NPS staff have overseen contracts to replace the utilities and rebuild or upgrade three parking lots with accessible routes and lighting (we’re currently working on the design of the fourth and last lot).

Given Fort Vancouver’s significant archeological resources, it’s no surprise then that amongst all this groundwork, care of subsurface resources was at the forefront of the team’s considerations. Not only are there artifacts from the military presence of the past 175 years, but generations of Indigenous and fur trade use lie in the soil. While historic records give us insights into what specific people of the time considered worth recording, these underground objects tell us what everyday life was like – and it is paramount to preserve them.

Archeology was a main piece of the utilities upgrade plan, which involved updating buried water and sewer lines and burying electrical lines.

While archaeologists were testing the site ahead of utilities work, they came upon very sensitive resources. We stopped work and informed the tribes with whom we consult, who asked us to reengineer the plan to avoid these resources. We went back to the City of Vancouver and to the engineering firm – we brought everyone in as a stakeholder in this process.

Where this belongs

• Fort Vancouver National Historic Site

Where this page came from

This page was imported from National Park Service. Produced by the U.S. National Park Service and, as a work of the United States government, in the public domain.

Nobody has written it yet — it is the source material at a new address, which is why search engines are asked to skip it and why no one earns from it. It is up for grabs: take it on, and it is yours to rewrite and to earn from.