Fort St. Joseph Education Days
This event happened on Friday and Saturday, October 24-25, 2008
Third and forth grade students and their teachers are invited to visit an 18th century living history village near the site of Fort St. Joseph in Niles,Michigan on Friday, October 24th. Students will be able to enjoy themselves as well as learn a bit of Michigan history as we bring it back to life for you.
The public is encouraged to attend our presentations on Saturday and Sunday, October 25th and 26th, 2008.
The Education Day site is located at South riverfront Park on Bond Street near the St. Joseph River. Many of the people responsible for conducting this program are professionals in their field and make a portion of their living as historians and re-enactors. Archaeological artifacts will be exhibited by Western Michigan University students and others who assisted with the digs.
With interactive, costumed, historical presenters, everyone will experience life circa 1740-50. The fort was an important military post, Jesuit mission and fur trading center. For the past four years we have received rave reviews for these educational programs, and students have expressed their enthusiasm for their experiences. Please plan to attend. The program is designed to help students meet Michian history and Human Systems standards (H3.0.1, H3.0.3, H3.0.5, H3.0.7, H3.0.10, and G4.0.2) in preparation for MEAP tests.
Each student will visit six or seven different stations. This year's theme is "corn", and different stations will incorporate corn into their presentations. A bagpiper will signal the students to move from one station to another.
The seven stations include:
1. Archaeology-WMU graduate students will explain the artifacts and talk about the importance of archaeology to the preservation of history.
2. Current History-Local historians may read a portion of a Native American Story to the students that will introduce the corn theme, and the students will learn how these individuals use history in their everyday lives.
or
Potawatomi Culture-Native American dancers and drummer will demonstrate some Pokagon dances to the beat of the drum and teach the students the basic step used in native dances.
3. Domestic life of the 18th Century-The role of women and children in a frontier post will include clothing, daily chores and responsibilities, food preparation, and recreation.
4. Military-The military aspect of the fort will be presented thru costumed French and British soldiers, medical procedures and care, mapmaking, survival techniques, an arms display, and marching drills.
5. Native Americans-The interaction between the early Frency culture and the
Native Americans will be seen in this area in which Jesuits and the Native Americans
will be represented.
6. Voyagers-Early traders using canoes made of birch bark, moved trade goods through the rivers and the Great lakes. Trade goods and furs will be on display.
7. Merchants will set up a trading post and the children will be encouraged to barter with the merchants for goods and will learn how beaver and other animal pelts were used as the medium of exchange.
This educational program is being offered by Support the Fort, Inc., a non-profit organization whose mission is to educate people about the rich history of Fort St. Joseph and colonial and Native American life in southwestern Michigan.
Two programs will be offered: The first begins at 8:30 AM and concludes at 12:00 PM; the second begins at 12:30 PM and ends at 3:00 PM. Students will move between the different stations, each prsentation being 15 minutes long, with 5 minutes to walk to the next destination. (If you need to leave 20 minutes early to accommodate lunchroom or transportation problems, students will miss one station).
The set times are for the student only day, Friday, October 24. The public days, October 25-26, will be free form. Please move about freely, stay as long as you wish at interesting displays. Ask as many questions as you wish.
Up to 1,700 students and adults can be accommodaged comfortably through the day Friday, and we would like to have one chaperone for every seven students. The cost is $4.00 per student/adult. Please send your payment for each participant to Barbara Cook, 60736 Wood Road, Niles, MI 49120 before October 1, 2008.
(Saturday and Sunday are free to the public).
Other activities for Saturday and Sunday include:
- Opening and closing colors ceramony, piped.
- A press gang for the public. Learn short order drill as if you were a 17th century soldier.
- Music of several kinds.
- A fire starting demo.
- Birch bark shelter sewing demo.
- Period baked goods for sale.
- An SAR luncheon.
- A bagataway game.
- Bocce ball.
Several of the previously mentioned items will have public participation. Times for most activities will be announced and posted at a later date.
To schedule a morning or afternoon reservation for a class or school, please contact Barbara Cook at 269-683-6108. Please make your reservation by September 28, 2008. You will need to schedule your own transportation. If you want directions to the site, please call Barbara.
Private schools and home-schooled children are encouraged to attend. Please schedule your visit through Barbara Cook (see above).
If you have questions or special needs, please contact Barbara Cook at 269-683-6108, or e-mail: barb38@hughes.net.
Please make sure students (and adults) wear appropriate clothing for the weather at that time of year as most of the activities take place out of doors. Classes will be met at the bus by the first re-enactor you are scheduled to visit, and each teacher will be given a map to follow. In addition, at the end of the first visit, the re-enactor will assist in locating the next station.
The book entitled The History of Fort Saint Joseph by Bob Myers and Joseph Peyser is an excellent reference for teachers and others to learn the background information on the fort. It is available from Support the Fort, Inc. at the above address for $6.00 plus shipping and handling.
The 18th century frontier village will be open to the general public on Saturday and Sunday October 25 and 26, 2008, from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM. There will be demonstrations, and period and other merchandise for sale.
We hope that you and/or your family will have the pleasure of joining us at the fort site for this educational and life-enriching experience.
Michiana Regional History Day
This event happened June 27, 2009 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM.
Support the Fort participated with 16 other regional historical organizations in a joint effort of the Buchanan Preservation Society and the Buchanan Downtown Development Authority. During this event representatives of 17 (or more) non-profit organizations with interests in the history of southwestern Michigan gathered in a big tent just west of Pears Mill in Buchanan. This venue provided an opportunity for sharing news of their activities and work with the general public, as well as strengthening ties between regional historical organizations. It provided the public a convenient opportunity to learn about the attractions of nearby heritage sites worth visiting.
Other groups included: Berrien County Genealogy Society, Buchanan District Library, Buchanan Preservation Society, Fort St. Joseph Archeological Project, Friends of McCoy's Creek Trail, Friends of Oak Ridge Cemetery, Friends of Silverbrook Cemetery, Galien Woods Historical society, The Heritage museum and Cultural Center, History Center at Courthouse Square, Log Cabin Society of Michigan, Michigan Historic Preservation Network, Museum at Southwestern Michigan College, North Berrien Historical Museum, The Region of Three Oaks Museum, Rebecca Dewey Chapter DAR, and Support the Fort, Inc.
WMU Archaeological Project Media Day
July 28, 2009
WMU Archaeological Project Open House
August 1-2, 2009 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
STF staffed a hospitality and food booth, and added general ambiance to the event with members in period dress. Voyageurs, trades people, and a British 42nd Highlander soldier were in attendance.