Fort Vancouver Cemetery in Danger!! (fwd)

[David Robertson]

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---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sat, 4 Mar 2000 09:48:23 -0800 (PST)
From: Jon Burpee <jburpee at yahoo.com>
To: judy Bridges <judybridges at foxinternet.net>,
    Mike Cleven <irnmtn at bigfoot.com>,
    Rick and Patty Edwards and Norberg <fova at aol.com>,
    Jim Holton <jim at adisoft-inc.com>, Don Kaulitz <DKaulitz at aol.com>,
    Scott Langford <langford at teleport.com>,
    David Lewis <talapus at kalapuya.com>, Joan Miller <jmmiller at teleport.com>,
    "Rachel,Lora,Peter,Tim Nelson" <dgnelson at aol.com>,
    Dave Robertson <drobert at tincan.tincan.org>,
    John  Schilke <Schilkej at OHSU.edu>,
    chinuk illahee <chinuk_illahee_northwest at egroups.com>,
    Tony Johnson <tonyj at iname.com>, Jeffrey Kopp <jeffkopp at att.net>
Subject: Fort Vancouver Cemetery in Danger!!

WE NEED YOUR HELP, CHINOOK WAWA TILLICUM!!

> For What It's Worth.
> 
> There were two Sandwich Islanders with Fort
> Langley's founding party 27
> June 1827: Como and Peopeoh.
> 
> From _Fort Langley Journals: 1827-30_ editor Morag
> MacLachlan. 1998.
> Quoting pertinent portion of footnote regarding the
> 25 man founding
> party:
> 
> "[...] Como, born in Hawaii in 1795, started his
> service with the North
> West Company and died at Fort Vancouver in 1850
> (information supplied by
> Bruce Watson).  Peopeoh, according to Jason Allard
> in his
> _Reminiscences_, was a relative of the "Kings of the
> Sandwich Islands"
> who acted as a guardian of the Hawaiians employed by
> the Hudson Bay
> Company.  He was a central figure in the Hawaiian
> settlement on Kanaka
> Creek.
> See Duncan 1972; Morton 1988; and Barman 1995."
> 
> Both men are still at FL on 25 Feb 1830; both had
> re-engaged for 2 more
> years . . . and both had wives, where they hadn't in
> 1827.
> 
> "Kanaka" -- BW -- translates into "human being" (so
> says my New Pocket
> Hawaiian Dictionary)
> 
> For what it's worth.
> 
> Lisa P
> IBSSG
> Edmonds, WA
> lisapeppan at juno.com                                 
>        ICQ # 4894690
> Family Research at
> http://members.tripod.com/~LisaPeppan/
> 


Naika sikhs-

Como was probably buried in the Hudson's Bay Company
Cemetery that was (IS) located northwest of the
stockade of the post.  The U.S. Army moved in and took
over the area piece by piece starting in 1849.  Dr.
Henry Tuzo, HBC physician at Fort Vancouver in the
1850's, commented that 

"The fences, and some of the head boards in the co's
(HBC) graveyard, were removed by some of the soldiers
of the garrison at various times, and portions were
used as fuel at their quarters.  The graveyard became
gradually almost obliterated.  The authorities ran a
fence through it, enclosing a portion within the
parade ground, and excluded the rest.."

Today, in Vancouver, Washington there is almost no
recognition of this cemetery.  The Army is about to
move out of the area and the City of Vancouver is
trying to get the property and the buildings on the
site for "Urban Renewal" -------> "Gentrification." 
The area of the cemetery, known as the East Barracks,
was put within the authorized boundary of Fort
Vancouver National Historic Site managed by the
National Park Service.  The City is trying to get
Congress to take that away.

Because of the way politics are playing around here,
the NPS is not pushing very hard to make sure that
when the Army leaves the area is formally handed over
to the Park Service instead of the City.  

I NEED YOUR HELP!!!

I am a ranger for the NPS and I am trying to bring
this issue to the fore (on my own time of course).  If
nothing is done there will never be any recognition of
the cemetery where there were over 206 recorded burial
from 1839-1856.  The cemetery was used probably as
early as 1829, but since there were no priests at the
fort those burials were not recorded. 

City plans for the area include MAJOR utility work to
renovate the buildings to be leased out to private
individuals and businesses.  Utility work would
require extensive ground disruption and further
desecration of these graves in which over 15 tribal
and ethnic groups are represented.  OUR HISTORY WOULD
BE SOLD SHORT!!  Me and others are working on several
different leads to prevent this from happening.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

currently, Fort Vancouver National Historic Site is
undergoing the General Management Plan process.  As
part of the new management plan, we are required to
look at land ownership issues.  If you are interested
please write comments using the newsletter available
on the Fort Vancouver web site @
            http://www.nps.gov/fova

Also feel free to contact me by e-mail 
         JBurpee at yahoo.com

I am doing this because my responsibilities are to
make sure that this site is preserved forever. 
Although these responsibilities and duties are part of
my job, I am not doing this as a ranger for the
National Park Service.  In fact, I run the risk of
suffering from this action.  But this is too
important.  Please act upon this and contact me.

Mahsi mesaika,
nesaika sikhs,
JON

PS Tony Johnson, this cemetery is where Casenov was buried.
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