Family-Friendly Exhibit Explores Fur Trade Journeys

The Fort Nisqually Living History Museum has opened a new exhibit with a kid-sized view of Fort Nisqually's fur trade heritage.

Across the Pond: Voyage of a Beaver Pelt, is open through July 19. 

The Hudson’s Bay Company founded Fort Nisqually in 1833 part of its vast Pacific Northwest fur trade operations. 

“The HBC was the “Amazon” of its day,” said Exhibit Curator Chris Erlich. “The Company developed an efficient and global transportation network to get goods — including furs — into the hands of buyers,” said Erlich. 

With the help of the exhibit’s maps and artifacts, children and their parents trace the journey of a fur pelt from the hands of a trapper to Fort Nisqually and through to England. They meet trappers, Company officers, and sea captains on the trails, rivers, and oceans that made up the transportation routes of Hudson's Bay Company. They learn about other goods – such as English stoneware, Chinese tea, and Hawaiian sugar – that were part of the Company’s Pacific Rim trade network. 

There are fun hands-on activities too. Kids can pack a horse, balance a load on the steamship Beaver, and make their own top hat. A scavenger hunt leads to a discovery of the trade items on display throughout the fort. 

For more information about museum programs and admission, visit FortNisqually.org or call (253) 591-5339.