At the pullout is an informational sign describing the history of Fort Shepherd, a Hudson's Bay Fort which operated from 1859 to 1870. The Kiwanis logo has been placed on the top of a picnic table at the site to indicate its financial involvement in the creation and maintenance of this small informational and rest area. The pullout, table and sign are on the left bank of the Columbia River while the fort itself was on the right bank.
On the upper bench across the Columbia River from this sign stood Fort Shepherd, a Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) trading post. The property is now owned by The Land Conservancy of BC and is being protected for its environmental, ecological and heritage values.
Fort Shepherd was constructed in 1858 to replace Fort Colville, a HBC post approximately 40 miles downstream in United States territory. Duties on HBC goods entering the US from British Territory were becoming burdensome for the Company, making Fort Colville unprofitable. A new post north of the 49th parallel was needed.
Construction of the new post commenced in 1858 and was completed in 1859. The post operated until 1860 and reopened in 1864. In 1865, it became the headquarters of the HBC's Kootenay and Similkameen operations. However, trading activity had not improved significantly and the post was closed again in 1870. In 1872 the buildings were destroyed by fire.
Little remains on the site today to indicate human activity took place there over 150 years ago. However, Fort Shepherd is recognized as the first white settlement of note in the region's history and the area's brief connection to the fur trading empire of the Hudson's Bay Company.