Students lend a hand of help at the Fur Trade

On October 13th and 14th, Mr. Nobiling’s government classes went to the Fur Trade Museum to volunteer and help clean up for the end of the season. The third block cleaned out the garden and raked leaves, while the larger fourth block did the bulk of the raking and put new chinking on the dugout. Chinking is a mixture made up of mud, straw, and water, used to fill cracks or openings.

The reason behind the clean-up was for the Feast of the Hunter’s Moon, a re-creation of the annual fall gathering between the Native Americans and the Frenchmen back in the 1700s. The original feast occurred at Fort Ouiatenon in Indiana. There are other re-creations held across the United States, especially in Indiana, as this was one important event among fur traders.

Gail DeBuse Potter, the museum director, expressed her gratitude for the assistance, saying that the students accomplished more than she could have in a week. As a special treat, the students went back to the museum on Thursday, October 16 to tour the facility.

“I really liked helping out at the Fur Trade Museum because it gave me the opportunity to learn how easy it is to give back to the community,” said senior Josh Hill.

Students will have the opportunity to participate in a school clean-up for additional volunteer hours in the near future through Mr. Nobiling’s Government class.