July 16, 2008

Visitors young and old can step back in time at Fort Wilkins this summer, where museum exhibits, daily interpretive programs and special events promise a "Pure Michigan" experience for area residents and travelers alike.

Located at Fort Wilkins Historic State Park, Copper Harbor, at the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula, the restored 19th-century military post features daily costumed portrayals of soldiers and their families, a three-day living-history encampment and museum exhibits enlivened by the sights and sounds of army life of more than 135 years ago.

From July 25-27 the roar of cannon will again echo across Lake Fanny Hooe when Battery D, 1st Michigan Light Artillery, a Civil War-era living-history group, returns to Fort Wilkins for an extended weekend encampment.

"This colorful event, filled with family-oriented demonstrations that are both poignant and sometimes lighthearted, will capture the imagination of visitors of all ages," said Tom Friggens, a regional manager with the Michigan Historical Center. "The echo of cannon fire rolling down the length of Lake Fanny Hooe is identical to what soldiers serving at Fort Wilkins heard more than 135 years ago. It is an experience not to be missed!"

Re-creating the volunteer artillery unit organized at White Pigeon, Mich., in 1861, the group will interpret army life of the period, demonstrating artillery drills, period cooking and soldiers' pastimes. Their encampment will feature more than 25 costumed interpreters, tents, a depiction of army barracks life and full-scale artillery pieces, as well as authentically reproduced mess gear, small arms and other period artifacts.

Demonstrations, including Civil War medical and undertaking procedures, drills and skits, all drawn from army life of the period, will be featured throughout the weekend.

The original Battery D served in the western theater of the Civil War - Kentucky, Tennessee and northern Georgia - where, despite losing five of its six artillery pieces in the 1863 Battle of Chickamauga, it helped Union General George H. Thomas earn the nickname "the Rock of Chickamauga" for his stiff defense against Confederate forces in the ensuing Union defeat.

The event will be open to park visitors from 8 a.m. to dusk Friday and Saturday, July 25 and 26, and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, July 27. For the daily schedule of activities, telephone (906) 289-4215.

Meanwhile, the everyday events of army life at Fort Wilkins are depicted in the costumed portrayals of men and women stationed there during the summer of 1870. Modeled after actual members of the army garrison and based on extensive historical research, the "role playing" interpretive program is presented by the Michigan Historical Center, in cooperation with Northern Michigan University, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily through Aug. 21.

The role-playing program is supplemented by four three-day living-history camps presented during the summer by The Future Historians, a youth association from the Michigan Iron Industry Museum at Negaunee. Kids from the museum's auxiliary group receive intensive training during the spring before assuming the costumed roles of children at Fort Wilkins during the living-history camps, Friggens noted, with 60 Future Historians participating in the camps this summer, demonstrating children's games and chores and telling visitors about growing up in 1870. Upcoming camps are scheduled for July 22-24, Aug. 7-9 and Aug. 1-3 and Aug. 13-15.

A recent exhibit, opened in 2004 and completed this summer, allows fort visitors to step into the furnished powder magazine, with its powder kegs, ammunition boxes and ordnance crates, for the first time since 1870. With an engraved keystone that reads "1844 A & B 5th Infy," a concave ceiling to direct an accidental explosion up not out, and well-preserved examples of 163-year-old Spanish Brown paint, the thick-walled powder magazine is one of Fort Wilkins' most interesting buildings.

Built in 1844 to keep peace in Michigan's Copper Country, Fort Wilkins was abandoned two years later and re-garrisoned by federal infantry from 1867 to 1870. Today it remains a well-preserved example of a 19th-century military post, including officers' quarters, soldiers' barracks, married enlisted men's quarters, hospital, workshops, powder magazine and guardhouse.

The historic site also includes the Copper Harbor Lighthouse, where exhibits interpret the Copper Harbor light station and its keepers. Public access to the lighthouse museum is by a DNR tour boat concession that operates daily, lake conditions permitting, from the Copper Harbor Marina.

Fort Wilkins Historic Complex - including the restored fort, the Copper Harbor Lighthouse and the 1844 Pittsburgh and Boston Mining Company mine sites - is administered by the Department of History, Arts and Libraries in cooperation with the Department of Natural Resources. The nationally accredited outdoor museum is open daily from 8 a.m. until dusk through mid-October. Admission is by state park permit. A fee is charged for the lighthouse boat tour. For current lighthouse boat schedules and ticket information, or for more information about the Civil War encampment, call (906) 289-4215.

The Department of History, Arts and Libraries is dedicated to enriching quality of life and strengthening the economy by providing access to information, preserving and promoting Michigan's heritage and fostering cultural creativity. In addition to the Michigan Historical Center, it includes the Library of Michigan, the Mackinac Island State Park Commission, and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. To learn more, visit www.michigan.gov/hal.

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