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Fort de Chartres was named after Louis duc de Chartres. The fort was meant to protect the population of the French and the
Indians Fort de Chartres was first constructed out of all wood in 1718.
Fort de Chartres III almost had to be destructed during the Great Mississippi Flood. A levee had broken close to the
fort. All the damage is repaired now. A new museum has been built on the same foundation.
In the 1930's the stone gateway was reconstructed. Within the last decade, more walls have been rebuilt. A few interior
structures were reconstructed, which show only wooden frames of some buildings.
If you go to visit the fort today, then you would find a partially rebuilt eighteenth-century Fort de Chartres. The north
wall is complete with bastions and a gatehouse. It contains musket ports and cannons. The east bastion holds the rebuilt powder
magazine. It is considered to be the oldest building in Illinois.
The largest French colonial rendezvous in the country is hosted every year at Fort de Chartres. People gather on the first
weekends of May, June, and October. The fort offers the public opportunities to see military drills. They also participate
in games of pioneer skills. There is an on-site store, too. It is called Nouvelle Chartres. It sells replicas of 18th-century
artifacts and reference books all year round.
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