File:"Lahash” is the Chinuk Wawa word for “axe.” This word is pronounced as it is spelled, with a long “a” sound – like “la-hahsh (a8ac7a44-5e1b-4dcf-919e-bb55759dc0f1).jpg

Photo of an axe with the letters "AM" stamped into the blade, accompanied by the Chinuk Wawa word "lahash" and its translation.

"Lahash” is the Chinuk Wawa word for “axe.” This word is pronounced as it is spelled, with a long “a” sound – like “la-hahsh.” While some axes were imported to Fort Vancouver from England, they were generally made by the blacksmiths who worked here. This axe, found by archaeologists at the fort, has the maker’s mark “AM.” This is believed to be the mark of blacksmith Allan Morrison. In the summer of 1837, Morrison signed a five year contract with the Hudson’s Bay Company and left his home in Scotland to travel to North America. He arrived at Fort Vancouver in 1838, worked as a blacksmith here for the next four years, and returned to Britain in 1842.