Visit
School programs and field trips
A visit to the fort turns a textbook chapter into a place students can walk through. Programs connect to Iowa and United States history and bring frontier life and the War of 1812 within reach.
What a field trip looks like
Classes are met by a guide who leads students through the reconstructed fort and tells its story in plain terms, scaled to the grade level. Along the way students see the five-cornered plan, the blockhouses, and the barracks, and hear how the garrison defended the post, survived the sieges of the War of 1812, and finally abandoned and burned it in 1813, escaping to the river after dark. Standing on the same riverfront where it happened makes the events stick in a way a lecture cannot.
We work with teachers ahead of time so the visit supports what you are already teaching. Tell us the grade, the topics you are covering, and how long you have, and we will shape the program to fit. We can focus a visit on a single theme or give a broad overview, and we are happy to suggest pre-visit and post-visit ideas to extend the learning back in the classroom.
Curriculum connections
The fort touches several strands of social studies and history, so a single trip can reinforce more than one unit. Common topics include:
Frontier life
How about sixty soldiers built, supplied, and lived at a remote post on the river in 1808, far from settled towns.
The War of 1812
The attacks and sieges from 1809 through 1813, the role of the Sauk leader Black Hawk, and why the fort was finally abandoned and burned.
Reading the land
Why the fort's site at the base of a bluff made it hard to defend, and how geography shapes the outcome of a conflict.
Archaeology and evidence
How a 1965 dig in a factory parking lot uncovered the blockhouse and officers' quarters, and how we learn history from the ground.
Planning details
We schedule school visits during the season and, when possible, by appointment at other times to fit the school calendar. Group rates apply to students, and we ask that teachers and chaperones plan for supervision on the grounds, which are outdoors and have some uneven terrain. Bring comfortable shoes and dress for the weather, since most of the visit is outside. For accessibility needs, see our accessibility page or mention them when you book.
Book a field trip
Send us your school, grade level, preferred dates, and approximate group size, and we will help you build a visit that fits your lesson plans. We recommend reaching out a few weeks ahead so we can hold your date.
Questions? Call 319-470-3642.