Here’s a summary of this venerable United States military compound, per the City of Detroit Parks & Recreation Department that is now responsible for it. [1]
Historic Fort Wayne was built in 1845 as a new artillery post to serve the United States in future attacks by British Canada. Throughout its more than 160-year history, however, the fort has largely been a peaceful location, serving as an infantry garrison and a primary induction point for Michigan troops entering every US conflict from the Civil War through the Vietnam War ….
Every summer, the Detroit Recreation Department hosts historic re-enactments, special events and outdoor activities for visitors.
Elements of this property may be seen as a time capsule of sorts. In the decade prior to Fort Wayne commissioning, Orange Risdon “was instrumental in Saline being platted as an unincorporated village ….” The fort is located forty miles east, north east of the City of Saline, off Jefferson Avenue. The “US 12 Heritage Trail” mostly connects the two destinations. [2-4]
Today the rich and important story of Fort Wayne is hopelessly intertwined with the ravages of neglect and lack of formidable champions to shepherd it to sustained restoration. Valiant efforts of the Historic Fort Wayne Coalition are only able to go so far. [5-8]
A number of units from the Boy Scouts of America have stepped up to help. In recent years, this has notably included Troop 446, chartered by The Rotary Club of Saline, and Troop 429, chartered by First United Methodist Church of Saline. [9-11]
This year, members of our own BSA Scouts 439, under the aegis of Tri-County Sportsmen’s League, spent their weekend on the site and participated in volunteer cleanup efforts as a part of the annual American Battlefield Trust “Park Day.” [12-13]
Saline Journal checked in with them there on April 6, then followed up to discuss the experience during their weekly troop meeting earlier this evening.
Gathered around a table outside, the several Scouts who’d attended responded to a non-directed opening by providing a history of Fort Wayne. Without notes, one introduced, then another expanded upon, and a third and fourth fleshed out detailed vignettes on construction and fortification dates. They told of how the property was used during the Civil War. POWs were housed there during World War II, they said. It was a place for training troops during the Vietnam conflict.
Troop 439 Quartermaster Leah DeCaro spoke of times when, impressively, those who were there “made everything they needed themselves.”
While certainly aware of the surroundings in a very economically challenged area of Detroit, none of these scouts seemed inclined to view that area as any more disconnected from their geography in Saline than their time in the year 2019.
At one point, Senior Patrol Leader Elliz McClelland recited the “Scout Law,” then returned to connect a number of its directives to their work on April 6. “Service projects are how we live those words. We went out because that’s what we do. [14,15]
This is an important historical spot. It’s important to preserve the past because the past shapes the future. But they’re [Historic Fort Wayne Coalition] running out of money, so there are only pockets of restoration. Other areas of the fort are being lost.
Scoutmaster Tammy Mayrend then told Saline Journal that members of Troop 439 had elected to record this outing as part of their efforts toward the Boy Scouts of America “Historic Trails Award” as opposed to service hours for rank advancement. [16-18]
Perhaps this, too, will serve to lead an even greater number of others to serve where they can in the larger community of which they are a part.
References
- “Fort Wayne” Detroit Parks & Recreation Department.
- “Orange Risdon Family” Agnes Dikeman (2004) Saline Area Historical Society.
- “Saline’s History” Saline Area Historical Society.
- US 12 Heritage Trail (home page).
- “The Fort Wayne Story (1959)” Detroit Historical Society (July 8, 2016) YouTube.
- “The History of Fort Wayne (Detroit)” Nathaniel Johnston (October 21, 2017) Military History of the Upper Great Lakes (MHUGL).
- “What is to become of Historic Fort Wayne in Detroit?” Michigan Radio (September 29, 2015) YouTube.
- Historic Fort Wayne Coalition (home page).
- Tri-County Scouts BSA Troop 446, Saline MI (Facebook Page).
- The Rotary Club of Saline (home page).
- FUMC Saline (home page).
- Tri-County Sportsmen’s League (home page).
- “Park Day” (April 6, 2019) American Battlefield Trust.
- “What are the Scout Oath and Scout Law?” Boy Scouts of America.
- “How Many Service Hours Did Scouts Perform in National Parks?” Hayley Cordaro (February 3, 2016) Scouting Wire.
- “What you need to know about earning the Historic Trails Award” Mark Ray (March-April 2014) Scouting magazine.
- “Boy Scout service hour requirements to increase beginning next year” Bryan Wendell (November 10, 2015) Scouting magazine.
- “Mechanics of Advancement in Scouts BSA” Boy Scouts of America.
