Fort Vancouver National Historic site at crossroads of history

The ginger jar came here from China and has inspired a school art project. The Soviet fighter-pilot helmet came here as part of a do-it-yourself space suit. Both projects will play roles in Fort Vancouver National Historic Site's celebration of National Park Week. Beginning Saturday, all units of the National Park Service will offer nine days of free admission. Fort Vancouver has scheduled a slate of family-friendly activities in keeping with the Park Service mission, including Junior Ranger Day on Saturday. However, Fort Vancouver's own story will be represented through programs that reflect the site's unique background as a crossroads. It's always interesting to consider the global trade patterns that brought goods here 180 years ago, when Fort Vancouver was the regional headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company, said Park Service Curator Theresa Langford. Artifacts from that era include the ginger jar; it's part of the Art of Legacy project involving local students. "The ginger jar would have come here in the 1830s," she said. Although control of Fort Vancouver shifted from the Hudson's Bay Company to the U.S. Army, "It has remained that sort of crossroads," Langford said. One of those connections will be honored Saturday during "Yuri's Night" -- a salute to Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. It will include a presentation by Cameron Smith, who is building his own space suit. While Smith is relying on off-the-shelf technology for most of his materials, he did buy a Soviet-era fighter-pilot helmet. He found it on eBay for around $400. The Columbia River region's tribal inhabitants also will be represented. "Spirit Pole," by Yakama artist Toma Villa, will be dedicated on April 23.