From Deseret News archives:
If you go . . .
This restored fortress on a bluff overlooking Lake Champlain's southern end is one of the most fought-over places in American history. The French built the fort in 1755 and turned back a British attack three years later, killing hundreds of Scottish Highlanders in an ill-advised frontal assault. Maj. Robert Rogers' Rangers fought a bloody guerrilla war against French, Canadian and Indian partisans along nearby forest trails.
Some 800 French and Indian War re-enactors from the United States and Canada gather here every summer and stage battle re-enactments each morning of the weekend. Events include arrival of a flotilla of replica bateaux, the boats used to transport troops and supplies on the region's lakes and rivers in the 1700s.
Guided tours of the encampment are available.
OLD FORT NIAGARA: Encampment was July 2-4, Youngstown, Niagara County; www.oldfortniagara.org or 716-745-7611.
A French stronghold for decades, the fort was a vital link between Montreal and French outposts in the Ohio Valley. The British finally captured Fort Niagara in July 1759 after a 19-day siege.
The annual encampment is the largest gathering of French and Indian War re-enactors, with about 1,000 expected to recreate the 1759 Siege of Fort Niagara. Events include battle re-enactments, military drills, artillery demonstrations and living history programs.
OLD FORT JOHNSON: Colonial Days, July 23 and 24, Fort Johnson, Montgomery County; www.oldfortjohnson.org or 518-843-0300.
William Johnson, an Irish immigrant who became one of the most influential men in pre-Revolution America, built this homestead in 1749 on the north bank of the Mohawk River. The stone structure served as a home, fortress and trading post for Johnson as he rose to prominence as a British official and friend of the Mohawks. In 1755, he commanded the provincial force that defeated the French at the Battle of Lake George.
Now a national historic site, Fort Johnson is hosting a weekend event featuring re-enactors, blacksmiths and other craft makers who'll offer a glimpse of life in 18th-century America.
FORT LA PRESENTATION: Founders Day Weekend, July 23 and 24, Ogdensburg, St. Lawrence County; 315-393-3620.
Founded as a Catholic mission in the 1700s by a French priest, the fort on the south bank of the St. Lawrence River prevented the British from attacking Montreal from the west. It also was site of a large village of French-allied Indians who launched raids on the English settlements in New York and Pennsylvania.
