Uh oh. It's a 18th century French fort with rock walls! Fort de Chartres was built between 1753 and 1755, replacing earlier wooden forts by the same name. According to a sign, the Treaty of Paris passed possession of the fort into British hands. With the Mississippi River encroaching on the walls, the fort was abandoned in 1771. We had the place to ourselves on the day of our visit, even in the museum in one of the rebuilt buildings. The video (right) shows the wall on the "land-gate" side. | |
| Another sign tells visitors about Lewis and Clark passing the spot on their way to the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, before wintering nearby. Clark noted in his journal that they passed the stone ruins in this location. Come along with me in video formas we enter through this gate which, is currently is unguarded by French and English alike. Too bad we don't have costumed interpreters and reenactors to provide soundtrack and information to our visit. |
Since I spent a week at Fort Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain in Upstate New York, almost two years ago, I was able to interpret this star-shaped fort's walls for my family. Even though I wasn't able to go to a place-based teacher institute, this year, I still thought I could provide a 360-view of this historical site. Enjoy this video, showing the fort unstained by the presence of people in 21st century garb. | |