That Day I Visited the French and Indian War.

With our upcoming Barbour novella collection, (and yes I'm writing on deadline...right now!) it was a perfect opportunity for me to finally visit Fort Niagara during their encampment dedicated to the French and Indian War.

Okay, this I did this for my granddaughter who is fascinated with wolves. This is a wolf pelt (head to tail) which I am wearing. So, of course I needed a musket to fend off those of you who would deign to mock me (for being entirely out of fashion as I protect The Castle)

Fort Niagara has been a fort since early in the 1700s when the French built in along the Great Lakes waterway. The French and Indian war saw it transferred to the British. By the revolutionary war, Fort Niagara (on the east side of the Niagara River) became an American point of defense with the British Fort George across the river!

Here's a map of the area:

The Niagara  River flows from Lake Erie in Lake Ontario  and is the border between present day Canada and the U.S, (See Buffalo, Tonawanda and Youngstown). At the northern end, Fort Niagara guards the mouth of the river.

During the Fourth of July holiday, I made the two hour trip to get an idea of what a full encampment would look like, and also to grab some photo opportunities. There's nothing like visiting the setting of a story and my upcoming novella, A HEART SO TENDER, part of Barbour Publishing's BACKCOUNTRY BRIDES is set in 1764 Fort Niagara during the Great Gathering of Nations by Indian Agent Sir William Johnson. I can definitely get lost in research but I'll spare you and just share some photos instead!  You'll hear more about this important decade in "American" history over the next year.

From inside the southern blockhouse, I could look inside the fort where sutlers and the French Army camped. The large building in the distance, closest to the lake, is 'the Castle', the most important and largest of the buildings.

This gentleman uses gourds and grasses to make decorative baskets. I love the authenticity of the vendors and their devotion to history.

It was a low-humidity, lovely day by the lakeshore. The  castle to the right and an artificer's barracks to the left. Artificers were the builders and tradesmen who 'fixed' things for the soldiers

A weaver discusses his choice of wool with this impressively attired gentleman who magnificently showed of the clothing and attire of his ancestors! He also was good at 'pulling my leg' when I asked if I could take their photo. The woven belts were important parts of  the clothing of Frenchman and First People alike.

A young French soldier awaits the British attack.

While Fort Niagara hosts a number of events throughout the year, this was my best opportunity to visit an encampment focusing on the events prior to the setting of my novella.  I hope to capture the flavor of the day and your attention!
While I knew that Author Michelle Griep had visited Fort Niagara the day before, I didn't know at the time that she was also there on the same day, researching for an upcoming novel.

Please let me know if you have any questions about the event, or Fort Niagara. I'm excited to bring it to you, fictionally, in the fall of 2018, along with the stories from my fellow Colonial Quills authors.

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This week I have a new book release - The Case of the Clobbered Cad, an amateur sleuth mystery set in 1956 Edinburgh for fans of "The Girl Detective."  The ebook is up for pre-order and the paperback will be available later this week. Learn more here!