Saturday, March 15, 2008
Local historic site can't figure out why it's just that
St. Paul, Minnesota - Local historic and interpretive site Fort McIntyre is struggling to rebound after a report on dwindling usage was released last week.
Nestled in the city's river valley, Fort McIntyre is a 1.2 million dollar re-creation of the famous pioneer era fort that served as a gateway to the Dodge in the early 1800s. Lately, however, the site has failed to attract the historically savvy or any aspiring pioneers. Local interpreter Dawn Samuels, dressed in a northern general's garb, has this to say: "In this age of the second great gold rush, it is difficult to concur with any one man's belief that the American prospectors won't again reach Fort McIntyre and this once rapidly expanding town won't soon become another great landmark on the breast of our great nation."
Other members of the town are not so optimistic. Wolom Hunter, a local Mohican observed that "They have taken my buffalo; my people are starving. They taken my land; all I have is this treaty. They have taken my women; I have half-white relatives."
Meanwhile, St. Paul's city council will review the site's viability next week at a council meeting. Mayor Jenkins released the following statement to the press earlier this week: "I'm confident that Americans are still interested in learning about the historic past of their nation. History has always been a pillar of importance for this city's council and we have always furvently believed in educating the young and old. Fort McIntyre has been around long enough for many citizens to take in its great displays and informative presentations. It too is an important attraction for our many tourists and serves as a great venue for weddings, birthdays, and other social gatherings. I am confident that those who have experienced the Fort will recall it's worth and visit it again. We will do everything in our power to ensure that the Fort remains an effective tool in making history come alive. It will be in St. Paul for a long time and attendance will increase. And if not, it's not the end of the world, Starbucks has already bid on the land, so it's a win-win either way."
Nestled in the city's river valley, Fort McIntyre is a 1.2 million dollar re-creation of the famous pioneer era fort that served as a gateway to the Dodge in the early 1800s. Lately, however, the site has failed to attract the historically savvy or any aspiring pioneers. Local interpreter Dawn Samuels, dressed in a northern general's garb, has this to say: "In this age of the second great gold rush, it is difficult to concur with any one man's belief that the American prospectors won't again reach Fort McIntyre and this once rapidly expanding town won't soon become another great landmark on the breast of our great nation."
Other members of the town are not so optimistic. Wolom Hunter, a local Mohican observed that "They have taken my buffalo; my people are starving. They taken my land; all I have is this treaty. They have taken my women; I have half-white relatives."
Meanwhile, St. Paul's city council will review the site's viability next week at a council meeting. Mayor Jenkins released the following statement to the press earlier this week: "I'm confident that Americans are still interested in learning about the historic past of their nation. History has always been a pillar of importance for this city's council and we have always furvently believed in educating the young and old. Fort McIntyre has been around long enough for many citizens to take in its great displays and informative presentations. It too is an important attraction for our many tourists and serves as a great venue for weddings, birthdays, and other social gatherings. I am confident that those who have experienced the Fort will recall it's worth and visit it again. We will do everything in our power to ensure that the Fort remains an effective tool in making history come alive. It will be in St. Paul for a long time and attendance will increase. And if not, it's not the end of the world, Starbucks has already bid on the land, so it's a win-win either way."
