If you’re like a lot of people, the main thing you know about the War of 1812 is when it started. But take a trip to Old Fort Madison in Iowa, the battlefield site of the only battle fought west of the Mississippi, and you’ll leave with a wealth of knowledge about this war and the surrounding time period.

Old Fort Madison was established near the point where the Des Moines River meets the Mississippi in 1808 as a strategic trading post between the United States and several local Native American tribes.

The War of 1812 was fought between the United States and the British who allied with Native American tribes who resented the intrusion of pioneers into their territories.

While Fort Madison was over 1,000 miles from the East Coast where much of the fighting occurred, the fort was attacked in March and September of 1812 by several Native American tribes.

Losses were sustained on both sides, but the soldiers at Fort Madison held their ground.

As the winter of 1813 approached, the food supplier contracted by the government to send provisions to the soldiers at Fort Madison began sending rotten meat and flour. Faced with a brutal winter without fit food, the soldiers burned down the fort and drew back to St. Louis.

As the West was settled, the current town of Fort Madison was built and named after the old fort. In the 1980s, a crew from the local penitentiary was tasked with reconstructing the fort, modelled after the original structures.

Today, the reconstructed fort is an amazing facility to tour. The setting along the river is beautiful, and the docent of this open-air museum is both incredibly knowledgeable and gifted at sharing his knowledge of the history of the fort in an interesting way.

The combination of a PhD and a dry sense of humor makes Dr. Watkins a great guy to learn from!

Soldiers dressed in period clothing shoot off cannons and muskets (using blanks for safety) and give tours of the trading post and officers quarters. You’ll learn about how discipline was maintained in the ranks, what they traded, how medicine was practiced, and much more. You’ll likely leave feeling grateful to the men who endured such hardship to protect our country, but also incredibly grateful that you don’t live in those days!

The fort is open for tours by appointment from November through April. In May, September, and October, it's open on Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. During the summer season (June to August), they’re open Wednesday through Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  There are several reenactments and sieges scheduled during the year to check out. You don’t want to miss their 4th of July celebration if you’re interested in cannon-fire!

To learn more, visit Old Fort Madison's website. Have you ever toured this significant, historic, War of 1812 battlefield and fort in Iowa? After a tour, try a meal at the nearby Fort Diner.