DANBURY — The Forts Folle Avoine Fur Trade Rendezvous will be held Thursday, July 18, through Sunday, July 21. Also on Sunday, enjoy the popular Wild Rice Pancake Breakfast from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
The breakfast is a wonderful “before or after church” activity, a great place to meet your neighbors or bring your weekend guests. The breakfast menu includes wild rice pancakes, sausage, eggs and beverage.
Stay after breakfast to see the exhibits, take a self-guided tour and enjoy shopping in the Gift Shop.
The RendezvousA visit to Forts Folle Avoine during the Rendezvous is like a walk into the past. Located along the banks of the Yellow River, where historical fur trading posts originally stood, one can almost feel the ghosts of yesterday watching.
Dressed in authentic regalia, campers take on the roles of hunters, trappers, voyageurs and Native Americans of the past. The smell of wood smoke hangs in the air as families prepare breakfasts over campfires, and the sound of musket fire echoes across the Yellow River from the shooting range. On a foggy morning, one might also hear the music of flutes, fiddles and even bagpipes dancing on the breeze.
When the fur traders of North West and XY Co. packed their canoes with precious furs and began the arduous journey north after the long, cold winter at Forts Folle Avoine, their destination was Grand Portage. There, for a few weeks before preparing for the return trip, they could relax as they took part in the much anticipated Rendezvous celebration.
Each July, the historic Rendezvous is recreated. At the Forts Folle Avoine Fur Trade Rendezvous, dozens of fur trade camps fill Sayer’s Field and Trader’s Row. Represented is a variety of unique characters, all gathering together after a rigorous winter of trapping. As was true 200 years ago, goods are “traded,” stories told and fun times enjoyed by Rendezvous campers, traders and visitors.
Rendezvous includes demonstrations of period skills, including black powder shooting, archery and tomahawk throwing. Tasty foods prepared in the fur trade-era manner are a treat. Among the food available is wild rice soup, fried bread, stews and more.
Goods offered by the traders include period clothing, furnishings, camp gear, trade silver, animal skins, jewelry and a fascinating variety of other utilitarian and decorative items.
A list of activities at the Rendezvous includes (subject to change):
Shooting range
(lower camp area)
Competitions and practice TBD
Hawk & Knife
(near Indian Village)
Ongoing demonstrations and practice
Competitions TBD
Archery
(near Indian Village)
Ongoing demonstrations and practice
Competitions TBD
Special activities
Kids games
Bead pile
Shadow Puppet Theater for kids
There will be several ongoing demonstrations and activities at the Fur Trade Rendezvous, including:
Trader’s Row
Blacksmith, leather garments, sewing, wood carving, Native American-style beadwork and more
Lower camp
Frontier family life
Fur trade trapping and hunting
History of the Forts
Forts Folle Avoine Historical Park is located near Danbury on 80 wooded acres along the Yellow River.
This is a living history site with two Fur Trade Posts: North West Co. and XY Co., reconstructed on the site known to be active from 1802-05. An Ojibwe Village offers insight into Ojibwe life during the time of the fur trade. Several museums, including a logging museum and one-room schoolhouse, showcase other aspects of Wisconsin and Burnett County history.
Forts Folle Avoine Historical Park is operated by the Burnett County Historical Society.The park is a National Register of Historic Places site.
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