4th Grade Field Trip to Ft. Osage and MO Town

We took a step back in time to the 1800’s!  It was as close to time travel as you can get.  We learned about the Osage Indians and settlers who traded along the MO River at Ft. Osage.  Did you know that the Osage Indians averaged about 6 ½ feet tall?  Quite impressive! 

At MO Town, we stepped into the year 1855.  We also heard from a blacksmith on the details of becoming an indentured servant.  I think the highlight for most of the students was the wandering sheep that did not stay in the confines of their fence! J 

Both locations have some interesting events coming up.  Here are the links if you would like more information: http://www.jacksongov.org/missouritown/ and http://www.fortosagenhs.com/. 

When we arrived back at school, we reflected on our experiences through writing. This led to a discussion about the importance of studying our history; not only learning from past mistakes, but celebrating how far we have come.  

The view of the MO River at the Ft. Osage Museum.

We learned about fur trading at Ft. Osage.  This is a hat made from beaver.

This flag had 15 stars and stripes.  They soon realized that adding a stripe for each state would become a problem, so they changed it to just adding a star for each state and having 13 stripes for the 13 colonies.

This young man demonstrated how to load and fire a musket.  He had to load and shoot it four times before it worked, which was a great glimpse into the reality of war in the 1800's.

MO Town

We learned about the life of a blacksmith in 1855 and how to become a blacksmith.