Monday 25 June 2012

Fort Winnebago's Heirloom Kitchen Garden

Fort Winnebago. Image from Wisconsin Historical Society

Constructed in 1828 on a hill between the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers in Portage, Wisconsin, Fort Winnebago was of strategic importance to the crossing of both waterways.  In 1856 a fire destroyed much of the Fort and now only the Surgeon’s Quarters remain extant.

One of the features of the Fort was its kitchen garden which provided food and medicinal plants for the upward of 200 soldiers garrisoned there.  Now, the Portage Daily Register reports that the Columbia County Master Gardeners are recreating such a garden, which they hope will provide additional insight into dailt life at the fort.

The garden is being planted with ‘period correct’ heirloom (heritage) varieties dating to the 1820s to the 1840s, provided by Seed Savers Exchange.

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