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Discover Mid-America — November 2006
Reliving the 1700s at Living History Museum
The first citizens of what is now western Missouri and the Kansas City area were the Kansa Indians, who settled at the mouth of the Kaw River more than a hundred years before the “City of Kansas” took shape. The next largest ethnic group was the French — trappers and the militias that protected their interests from the tribes they called the Canses.
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An annual fall celebration, the “Grand Fete of Chez les Canses” brings reenactors together to relive the days of hunters, trappers and Indians, and the early merchants who served their needs. One such event recently was held at the Shoal Creek Living History Museum, just west of Liberty, MO, in Kansas City.
Reenactors of this period come in many forms, from grizzly mountain men with long rifles to bespectacled merchants, hawking 18th Century items ranging from hand-made paper and wool socks to knapsacks and copper buttons. It’s a family event with moms, dads and youngsters dressed in period attire. Most reenactors attend several living history events each year throughout the U.S., camping out in primitive tents and sharing their personas with modern-day families. Most use the event to further their business, trading in period goods. Others just enjoy immersing themselves in the mid-18th century.
Chez les Canses means “home of the Kansas” and families reliving this historical period truly felt at home at this Grand Fete at Shoal Creek.
Included in the event were reenactors depicting the combatants in the French and Indian War: Rogers’ Rangers, Longhunters and Highlanders loyal to England, and Coureour des Bois (woodsrunners), militiamen and French Marines loyal to France. Camped between the two adversaries were others depicting the Kansa tribes.
At the “dog run” cabin, merchant Ed Wilde was hawking his wares. Wilde, proprietor of Wilde Weavery, displayed hand-woven textiles, blankets, matchcoats, breechcloths, sashes and other items on a rough-hewn counter in the small cabin. Wilde, from Lee’s Summit, MO, said he was a member of the Middle Waters Group, which adds historical color to celebrations at Fort Osage and other venues in the Kansas City area. He and his wife make their own merchandise and work full time.
“We used to have booths in two area antique stores,” Wilde said, “but we sell more to reenactors and museums.”
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In the opposite cabin, Duke Drury was dressed in the garb of the longhunter. Drury, from Gardner, KS, said the longhunter of the mid-1700s would have provided the meat and game for the gathering.
Duke pointed out the implements of his trade: a priming horn, powder horn, round ball and fire-starting kit, which included a “char cloth” made from cotton. He demonstrated how a “patch knife” was used to cut pieces from a strip of cloth to stuff in the barrel of his flintlock rifle.
“We go to different places to have shooting contests,” Drury said, “including Fort de Chartres, Illinois in November.”
Duke, a retired firefighter, said he was an antiquer, and would soon open a booth in a Shawnee, KS mall.
“I travel all over doing this,” he said. “The gentleman next door and I will be going to a two-week event in West Virginia next week.”
Outside, various groups were visiting, trading stories and comparing notes about camping experiences. Blake Asher, Buckner, MO, said he was depicting Major Duncan Campbell of the 42nd Highland Regiment.
“He died in July 1758 at Fort Ticonderoga,” Asher said. “We have two Native scouts who work with us. We do the Kansas City Highland Games and other events.”
Another reenactor, Mike Keeney, depicted French Captain Michel Henri Francois Broussard, from Fort Cavignon, near present-day Fort Leavenworth.
“The post operated for about 20 years, until the end of the French & Indian War,” Keeney said. “Once France ceded this area to Spain, they abandoned the post. There was still a French settlement there in 1804 when Lewis and Clark came up the river.”
Keeney said one of the reasons he donned the uniform of the French captain was that “many people don’t realize there were French forts in this area and there was an 18th century Kansas City.”
(Learn more about the Grand Fete of Chez les Canses at http://thefete.com.)
Two weeks before the reenactment event, the Shoal Creek Living History Museum experienced violence that made less sense than war itself. Acts of random vandalism, probably by youngsters of elementary school age, left many of the buildings in shambles. Damage was estimated at more than $50,000. Original windows were broken and priceless antiques were damaged or destroyed, including a melodeon and piano, with hard-to-replace ivory keys. Although local residents have volunteered to help with restoration, the museum needs additional help in getting things back together.
If you are interested in volunteering or donating funds, call 816-792-2655 and leave a message.
The next event at the Shoal Creek Living History Museum will be “A visit with St. Nicholas” from 1-6 p.m., Dec. 2. Visitors will experience Christmas in the 19th century with walking tours and rides in a horse-drawn sleigh. St. Nicholas will appear, dressed in green velvet robes. Admission is $3. Many Chez les Canses reenactors will be at the event, dressed in period costume.
Ken Weyand can be reached at kweyand1@kc.rr.com
> Traveling with Ken Archive — past columns
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