Summer Adventures: Pipestone Civil War Days

Maybe it's the Midwestern heat getting to me (the weather service here have so many different names for humidity that they give Pacific Northwest forecasters a run for their money on creative ways to say "Rainy with some sun tomorrow") but it seems like we've been busier than ever this summer. Perhaps it's just that we're new to the area, and don't yet take for granted some of the events, like we did back in Washington, but it's also definitely true that there are a lot more events here that are both family- and budget-friendly in ways that very few events in Washington were.

So it was this weekend, as we loaded up the family people hauler and headed North for Civil War days in Pipestone, Minnesota. While my history interests tend towards aviation and thus 20th Century battles, the Civil War is still a rather facinating period in American history. Really, though, I had no idea that Minnesota had even contributed troops to the Union side of the war.

Nor, also, did I realize that in the post-war era, a number of veterans settled back in Minnesota, and that Pipestone was the site of some of the first veterans gatherings in the state.

Granted the battle felt much less like a serious historical affair and a picnic watching cannons and men in uniform exchange non-lethal fire, but it was still a very enjoyable afternoon. The kids got to see a bit of how a Civil War era army camp was set up (on both sides) and generally had an excellent day.

10/10, we'll almost certainly go again next year.

"Aren't you two a little short for a gun crew?