Apple River Fort

Apple River Fort, located in the small community of Elizabeth in far northwestern Illinois, is a reconstruction of the original fortification which was constructed during the brief but bloody Black Hawk War of the 1830's. The war erupted in the region over a treaty dispute between white settlers and a band of Sauk and Fox Indians under Chief Black Hawk. The fort itself is quite small. It didn't need to be, as it was not a permanent military installation but a temporary fortification that nearby residents could retreat to in the event of an Indian attack. They didn't have to wait long...completed on May 22, 1832 the attack the settlers feared took place on June 24th. The 40-or-so settlers fought a brief but fierce battle against a much larger Indian force. The battle lasted less than an hour with only one casualty amongst the settlers. The Black Hawk War ended soon thereafter and the fort was eventually torn down in 1847.

Today, the fort has been meticulously reconstructed (though details about the original design are few), and costumed interpreters aid in the retelling of the events that took place here. Though a small site and quite off the beaten track, I was impressed with the care and detail with which the caretakers of this site display. Though not a site I would drive across the country to see I would certainly recommend a stop if you find yourself in this pretty corner of Illinois...

8-20-2011

Apple River Fort State Historic Site (IL)

Visitor Center
The small visitor center is located about a quarter mile from the fort. For its size, it has quite a number of interesting and well-presented exhibits including a short (albeit, low-budget) film which depicts the battle which took place here...
Access Path
From the visitor center a nice, interpretive path leads through town to the fort...
Access Path
The first glimpse you get of the fort is from the bottom of a small, grass covered hill...
Apple River Fort
The entrance of the fort...apparently the older folk sitting outside were most interested in the benches here as they didn't move the entire time we visited, denying me a people-free shot...
Apple River Fort
The western half of the fort (yes, it's small!) houses a utility boulding and a small two-story cabin...
Apple River Fort
A closer look at the smaller cabin used to house equiptment for the fort...
Apple River Fort
Alook at the interior of the smaller cabin...there were a number of familiar period tools here that I'd used at my home park in Mackinac...
Apple River Fort
The other cabin in the west end of the fort...there is no historical record that says is actually had a second story but the design was based on other known structured of the period...
Apple River Fort
The first thing you notice about this fort is how many holes there are in the wall surrounding it. Can't say I'd feel real safe standing behind these rough poles while under fire. The uneven spacing did provide one advantage, however...it allowed an almost unlimited number of angles for returning fire...
Apple River Fort
Now to head on over to the southeast corner of the fort for a look at the blockhouse...
Apple River Fort
The downstairs of the blockhouse...
Apple River Fort
..and the upstairs of the blockhouse...
Apple River Fort
A gunport view of Elizabeth, Illinois...
Apple River Fort
The courtyard of Apple River Fort, such as it is...
Apple River Fort
A different angle of the west buildings from a small platform along the north wall...
Apple River Fort
You can drive up to the fort, but what fun is that??
Apple River Fort
Now for a walk around the fort...shouldn't take long...
Apple River Fort
The north wall...I'm not sure what the significance of this out-building is...
Apple River Fort
Note to future park planners...DO NOT place port-a-potty's adjacent to historic structures...it detracts from the historical ambiance of the site and is guaranteed to frustrate visiting photographers...overall, however, this was a minor blemish on what was a fabulously recreated old fort...for it's size, the best I've ever visited!