It was here in Vancouver, at the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) Fort Vancouver, that much of the Northwest's important early pioneer history unfolded. The HBC, a British company, came to the Northwest in search of furs, and for most of the first half of the 19th century it was the only authority in this remote region. Fur trappers, mountain men, missionaries, explorers, and settlers all made Fort Vancouver their first stop in Oregon country. Today Fort Vancouver houses several reconstructed buildings that are furnished as they might have been in the middle of the 19th century. In summer, there are costumed interpreters on hand giving demonstrations of activities that once took place here at the fort. Outside the fort is a large formal garden.