Hands-On History Workshop

The Historic Indian Agency House of Portage will host their second 2012 installment of the popular “Hands-On History” youth clinics, this time with an emphasis on pioneers and the houses they built and lived in across the many environments of the American frontier. To meet the needs of ever-busy summer schedules, two identical session of this workshop will be offered. One session will be on Friday, August 10 and the other on Saturday, August 11, both from 10AM to 12PM. 
 
This fun and educational workshop will concentrate on different types of frontier housing, from log cabins and frame houses to sod houses and dugouts.  Participants will learn about the resources provided by the prairie and the forests that allowed the pioneers to construct homes using the materials which nature provided.  Along the way, we will try out our building skills, including using mud to make our own adobe-style structures! Generous grant funding allows us to send each child home with a copy of Bobbie Kalman’s Homes of the West, an excellent introduction to frontier housing, filled with dozens of pictures and period photographs (an $8 value by itself).
 
To ensure a quality and hands-on experience for each child, a limit of 15 participants per session will be allowed. This event is recommended for children ages 8 and up, with children younger than 8 welcome if accompanied by an adult chaperone (age 18 or older). The cost is $6 per participant with reservations strongly suggested. (Please note that Supporters Family members will receive a reduced rate of $5 per child.)
 
The National Trust for Historic Preservation has generously provided supporting funds for this children’s event. Their generosity allows us to offer this workshop for a fraction of the actual cost of craft supplies, planning and implementation.
 
The Historic Indian Agency House is owned and operated by the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Wisconsin. The site is open to the public May 15 to October 15 annually, and hosts a wide variety of adult and children’s programming throughout the year. Call Director Destinee Udelhoven at 608-742-6362 with any questions or to make reservations for the Pioneer Housing Workshop.

Click here for a printable flyer.