Fort de Chartres Historic Frontier Outpost

Fort de Chartres, home of the oldest building in Illinois!

Fort De Chartres is a treasure that reflects the international history of the American Frontier. Just down the road from the small, historic village of Prairie Du Rocher, the fort has just re-opened for visitors, Wednesday through Sunday.

The current Fort de Chartres is the reconstructed remains of the last fort of that name built near the Mississippi River by the French colonial government. French administration of the Illinois Country was centered at the forts, which was built over a 40-year period near the same site. The current stone fort, built in the 1750s was abandoned in 1771. Fort de Chartres State Historic Site, also preserves the archaeological remains of the earlier wooden forts. It is hard to imagine a day when Southern Illinois was the domain of first the French and then English explorers who initially mapped this region back in the early 1700's. As Jerry, one of the staff mentioned, Prairie Du Rocher is a far ways from the courts of Paris!

The fort is large by colonial standards and has what is considered the oldest building in Illinois, the fort's powder room. You can tell from the buttresses that support the side walls that this building is impressively strong. With stone walls 56 inches wide, it was designed to keep the powder dry and protect it from the artillery fire of the day. The building, located in the northeast corned of the existing structure is surrounded by the remains of the wooden ramps that French cannon used to occupy.

Currently only the back wall is still standing complete, but it gives you an idea of the massive size of this fort which when completely enclosed contained 4.3 acres. It is said that Fort Sumter would fit in the parade grounds. Fort Chartres will be the host of many summer events and is a great place to picnic and explore. There is ample space around the fort to support family fun and games, some picnic tables and plenty of parking. The fort is about 4 miles from Prairie Du Rocher or about 10 miles from the village of Ruma where IL Route 3 and State Route 155 intersect. It is an easy hour south of the St. Louis and Metro East area. Just get on Route 3 in Columbia and follow the signs! Prairie du Rocher and the fort make for a nice couple or family adventure! The upcoming Rendezvous would be a great opportunity to immerse yourself into the region as well. Folks like Jerry, who eagerly shared the history of the fort, Prairie du Rocher, and tips on where to find fun activities. Enjoy this special slice of Southern Illinois that we can be thankful was recently re-opened after being shuttered due to budget constraints.

I also learned a lesson all might want to take to heart. I would suggest that one always carry two sets of keys when taking any road trip. Clearly for a newer car, this is quite an expense given the price of chipped keys. On the other hand, it is unlikely that you can get your car started with a big hammer and a screwdriver, a sight a few visitors to the park observed. Somewhere in my jumping around the fort, I jumped my keys right onto the large park grounds. I also learned that even "stealing" my own car, a "vintage" Pontiac Fiero, without a fancy, chipped key, is a challenge. Nevertheless, brute force won over patience and in the end, $25 worth of new and junkyard parts has my car looking like it never saw a giant screwdriver and hammer attack on the column.A spare set of keys, somewhere in the car, can save an adventure.

11May09

Follow up note: After one long, lonely week wandering Fort de Chartres, the keys surrendered to a park visitor who turned them into the wonderful staff!