|
Welcome to Fort de Chartres!
Welcome to
Fort de Chartres! This is the third fort of the three forts that were built at this site. When the English
had control over the fort, it was called Fort Chaves.
Then, the French took over the fort and they renamed it Fort de Chartres. It was named in honor
of Louis duc de Chartres, who was the son of the ruler of France. This French fort was established in the 1750s. The fort was
near the Mississippi River and took forty years to build. The British occupied the fort in
1765, and it was abandoned in 1772. Now, the fort is a museum, library, and is filled with historic buildings.
It was made out of stone. The soil all around the fort is very rich and fertile, which was good for growing
and harvesting crops. The main crop that the French grew was wheat. They had numerous amounts of lead, but
no silver or gold. It is an official historical site in the state of Illinois.
Now, travel back in time, learning more about Fort de Chartres.
|
|
| This is the entrance to Fort de Chartres. |
The Puppy Soldier
The puppy soldier was a
young boy about six years old. He would wear a blue sash that
would go from his neck to his waist. When danger approached the fort, the puppy soldier would tell the dog soldier to
get ready to fight. The dog soldier was an older male who wore a red sash and would fight
the enemy off.
|
|
| This is the puppy soldier at Fort de Chartres. |
Where did the soldiers live?
Soldiers lived in wooden fortresses and sometimes their families lived with them too. The bases of these wooden fortresses are
original, but the wood was remodeled because it was decaying. These fortresses usually had a basement. Besides
living in the basement they would also use it for storage of either weapons or food. Only one family could fit
in the fortress.
|
|
| This is where the commander, soldiers, and families lived. |
|
|
| These are the beds that the soldiers slept on. |
|
|
| This is Mr. Dan Daniels showing us his room and how he did things back in the olden days. |
|
|
What
is your favorite store? Do you like to shop at Target or the mall? Well, back in the mid 1700s people had to make
their own clothes. At the fort we saw a lady named Barb Hopkins making a corset. A corset is a like women's underclothing
during that era. She said that after about twenty hours of sewing, you would have your corset all ready to wear.
What hard work!
|
