Hawaiian influences, Patty Reed's Doll, and a Covered Wagon

On a beautiful day in California, some hard working student teachers took a field trip to Sutter's Fort in Sacramento, CA. We weren't really sure what to expect, some had distant memories from eating a bag lunch under a cool tree, while others remembered spending the night with their class many years ago. As we entered the Fort, we were greeted by some wonderful Park Rangers that were eager to answer any questions that we might have. What we found, upon further exploration, was a wonderful display of living history. There were areas decorated to show different artisan trades, living quarters, and my personal favorite were the informational displays. Each display gave focused descriptions, and had photographs of primary sources to pair with the topic discussed. It would be a wonderful activity to highlight the importance of primary sources to students through a scavenger hunt. This would allow them to describe what primary source was shown with each description of a topic and why they thought it was selected. I learned that some Hawaiians helped to build the fort and left a lasting impact on this fort by helping it survive from the beginning.

Mrs. Dailey at the entrance

The team of student teachers

An example of typical living quarters

The students in any class would love to learn how to load and fire a cannon.

A Cannon

Cannons at a lookout

It must have been so difficult to load these heavy cannons.

This covered wagon is so narrow. I wouldn't want to travel this way.

The inside view of a covered wagon.

An example of a work area can be viewed.

I love how these are structured. Question, explanation, and primary sources.

The primary source of images of popular fashions of hats that wold have contributed to the success of trade here is so fun.

I didn't know that Hawaiians helped to build Sutter's Fort.

It is so important to represent and acknowledge the diverse cultures that have shaped our country.

A personal touch, to tell a Hawaiian's story in relation to this fort.

Patty Reed's doll.

Shown above

These tools show how strong they needed to be to stand up to the use and stress of the period.

A sextant and some weapons. The weapons were from a soldier that fought in the Mexican American war.

Shown above

Throughout the displays, individual perspectives are represented by blocks of text paired with a sketch cutout of people. This is a nice touch that reminds us of the gender, age, and culture of the speaker.

I think students would like to hear from a person close to their age from history.

This would be a great place to either end or start the tour.

Another example of the wonderful use of primary sources with information.

This example of a general store would really spark student interest.

Sutter's personal sleeping quarters. The curtains would help to keep in the heat on the cold nights.

There are so many nice touches to bring these historical rooms alive.

I taught my students this year about chamber pots and it blew their minds. It would be fun to be able to show them one on a field trip

Candlemaking

A blacksmith's shop

Lots of weapons for hunting and defense.

Showing the importance of horses for transportation at this time period.

In the gift shop there were some fun books that are focused on this time period.

This might be a nice anchor text to provide a first hand account from a child's perspective. I haven't read this yet, but the teacher's guide shown to the left seemed really engaging.

Students would be interested in the concept of rations, especially with all the Hunger Games books/movies.

Some random furniture shown.

Looking at the mill stone that would grind up grain.

It would be interesting to teach about how they had to make their own tools, since there wasn't a Home Depot.

Another view of the tools and a stone to sharpen tools and blades.

A tool to help move the heavy cannon in another lookout.

I really think students would be engaged in the investigation of a cannon.

This is a motion activated device that starts as soon as you enter a display. It tells you interesting facts about what you are looking at. It would be great for a school trip and keeping students engaged.

I need to do more research to find out exactly what this was used for, but it looked really interesting.

The porcelain shows the mix of cultures and the importance of trade.

This is a giant fireplace! It would be fun to talk to students about why they might need such a large fireplace.

In the upper floors an example of another sleeping space.

The sleeping space from another angle

A doctor's room to care for the sick. The old bottles are so beautiful and the saws are terrifying. Discussing medical care through history is so fascinating.