Fort de Chartres

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Digging deep for history.
Reliving the time period!

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.  

 

   

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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.
 

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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.

 
          

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This is where the commander, soldiers, and families lived.

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These are the beds that the soldiers slept on.

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This is Mr. Dan Daniels showing us his room and how he did things back in the olden days.

What clothes do you wear?

           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!   

Take a travel through the past!