Frontier Life Summer Day Camp for children July 11 - 14 at Apple River Fort

ELIZABETH -- Looking for something fun and different for your children this summer?  Would they like to learn Indian games or play an old type of baseball?  At the Frontier Life Summer Day Camp at Apple River Fort State Historic Site, children will feel like early settlers as they experience life in the 1800s.   Kids will make a leather "possibles" bag, play Native American games, make hand-dipped candles, and much more.

 

The Summer Day Camp will be offered July 11-14 at the reconstructed 1830s Black Hawk War fort in Elizabeth, Illinois.  The camp provides educational and recreational activities for kids entering second grade through sixth grade from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day.  Parents need to provide transportation but earlier and later pick ups may be arranged.  To get a registration packet call Apple River Fort State Historic Site at (815) 858-2028 or email sheilac@appleriverfort.org.  Once you receive the packet, complete the registration form and send it in, with a $35 deposit, to reserve a space for your child.  The fee is $89 per child, with a reduced rate of $79 per each additional family member.  

 

"Campers will be grouped by age and enjoy age appropriate activities," said Apple River Fort Site Manager Susan Gordy.  "The camps will be supervised by trained, first aid certified staff, and reservations are on a first-come, first-served basis."

 

The Apple River Fort was the site of an important battle during the Black Hawk War.  It was the only fort attacked by Black Hawk during the turbulent summer of 1832. On June 24 the settlers at the Fort turned back an attack by some 200 Sauk and Fox

warriors led by Black Hawk.  Campers will explore both sides of this moment in history

by learning both Native American and pioneer skills and history.  The fort offers campers a unique opportunity to explore pioneer and native life while exploring the woods and prairie nearby.

 

As mementos of their experience, children take home a camp t-shirt and crafts they make throughout the week.

           

Apple River Fort State Historic Site, administered by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (www.Illinois-History.gov), is located off of U.S. Highway 20 in Elizabeth, Illinois just 13 miles east of Galena.  It is open daily for free public tours.