Various Native American tribes, such as the Chinook and the Klickitat, inhabited the area before the Lewis and Clark expedition camped in the area in 1806. The tribes' name for the area was Ala Si Kas or "land of the mud-turtles". It wasn't until 1824 that the first permanent European settlement did occer, when Fort Vancouver was established as a fur trading post of the Hudson's Bay Company. From that time on, the area was settled by both the US and Britain under a "joint occupation" agreement. Joint occupation ended on June 15, 1846, with the signing of the Oregon Treaty, which gave the United States full control of the area. The City of Vancouver was incorporated on January 23, 1857
Located about 305 miles north of Vancouver, Washington is the larger city of Vancouver, British Columbia. Both cities were named for sea captain George Vancouver, but the Canadian city was not incorporated until 1886, nearly thirty years after Vancouver, Washington, and more than sixty years after the name Fort Vancouver was first used. It has been suggested to changing Vancouver, Washington's name to Fort Vacouver, Vancouver USA or Old Vancouver, to reduce the confustion between the two cities. Washington residents distinguish between the two cities by referring to the Canadian Vancouver as "Vancouver, B.C."
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