Читать книгу Travels Into Our Past: America's Living History Museums & Historical Sites - Wayne P. Anderson - Страница 8

A young re-enactor and cook prepare treats

for the visitors to Colonial Michilimackinac.

Touring Michigan was remarkably fun because of the number of times we visited sites where we had the sensation of traveling back in time. Our most authentic sense of reliving history was in Mackinaw City at Colonial Michilimackinac. This fort was founded in 1715 by the French and destroyed by the British during the Revolutionary War; the British then moved everything they could to a base on Mackinaw Island.

What they couldn’t carry away they burned. Archaeologists, however, are doing a commendable job of reconstructing the original fort. The site already is impressive, but they are still in the process of uncovering items in places where they intend to restore even more buildings.

As visitors, we were involved in three kinds of interactions. First, we took the audio tour that gave an introduction at each significant spot, such as the water gate, the king’s storehouse and the soldiers’ barracks. By punching an additional key, we would hear a re-enactor explain his or her relationship to the fort. For example, a man portraying a British officer in charge talked about his life and read some of his poetry, and another portraying a Scottish doctor explained why he decided not to return to Scotland, where his people would not understand his decision to marry an Indian woman. Often we heard music of the period.

The second way of involving the visitors was the displays in most of the buildings, not just artifacts and commentary but in many cases mannequin displays depicting how the everyday tasks of this period were performed. The most striking was a basement in the Northwest Rowhouse with the Treasures from the Sand Exhibit. More than a million items dug up by the archaeologists have been grouped into classes such as tools, weapons, household items and trade goods. One magical display first showed the walls of the buildings, which then disappeared, and we saw only the diggings of the archaeologists followed by the reappearance of the buildings’ walls.

The third most important part of the program involved the re-enactors, few in number but well-trained and personable. After the cannon firing and musket display, a sergeant took us on a tour of the buildings and introduced us to a cook, who was using the fireplace for cooking and baking, a priest, and the lead archaeologist.

Later, the sergeant played a violin at a wedding, a re-enactment of one that really had taken place there. The bride and groom led us in a merry dance on the parade ground. Back in the kitchen, we watched a boy of about 11 make flatbread. He cooked it on a grill placed on hot coals and then shared it with the audience after smearing it with butter, sugar and cinnamon.

A film introduced us to the period, and brief films were shown at other stops. The French had established good relationships with the Indians, and the fur trade benefited both groups. The French learned American Indian ways and respected them and often intermarried.

The British, however, didn’t follow these customs when they took over. In revenge, the Indians pretended to play a game of lacrosse outside the gate. When they tossed the ball over the wall and rushed in to retrieve it, the women threw off their blankets and handed the men weapons, which they used to kill the soldiers in the fort. After that, the British decided it was in everyone’s best interests to pay more attention to local customs.

Re-enactment of a wedding that had taken place

in Colonial Michilimackinac