by Kyle Nelson, site supervisor

AmeriCorps Visits Fort Totten

A team from the National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) came to Fort Totten State Historic Site this fall. NCCC is a federally funded program by AmeriCorps that recruits young adults to engage in civil service around the country. With roots dating back to the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s, AmeriCorps was founded in 1993 by President Bill Clinton as part of the National and Community Service Act. Since then, AmeriCorps has been sending teams of 18 to 24 year olds across the country to work on projects of public benefit. The team of eight that came to Fort Totten consisted of members from all over the United States. They arrived with the objectives of cleaning out the 1925 gymnasium and cataloging the Pioneer Daughters collection housed at the site.

Upon arrival, the team was taken on a tour of the area. They were excited to tour the Devils Lake basin, because none of the team members had been to North Dakota before. The Fort Totten Foundation was kind enough to donate the use of the Totten Trail Historic Inn as their living quarters and base of operations. This was a pleasant break for them, since the team usually stays in campsites or unused school gymnasiums. The team wasted no time taking pictures of themselves lounging around in white bathrobes at their Victorian bed and breakfast. The pictures quickly found their way to social media, where the other teams could look on with envy as they slept outside.

After getting settled, the team began work on the state historic site's 1925 gymnasium. Upon its construction, the gym was the largest in the state and a point of pride for the Fort Totten Indian Industrial School. After what was then called the Fort Totten Community School closed in 1940, the gym has had several uses. It was first converted into a barn for bison. Later the Highway Department kept a snowplow in it. Over the last couple of decades, it has been used for storage and then allowed to fall into disrepair. The team was tasked with cleaning out the gym and getting it ready for potential restoration. It was a daunting task, but the team did not hesitate. They donned their hazmat suits and had at it. What was supposed to take two weeks was finished in eight days.

AmeriCorps team members Quinn, Tessa, Cameron, and Jabari take a break from working on the gymnasium at Fort Totten State Historic Site.

The next objective for the NCCC team was cataloging the Pioneer Daughters collection. The Pioneer Daughters have partnered with Fort Totten State Historic Site since 1960. The building in which the collection is stored was constructed to serve as the military fort's hospital in 1867. It was converted into a cafeteria when the fort became a boarding school in 1890. Over the last few years priority has been given to updating and improving the Pioneer Daughters collection, including a massive restoration of the hospital and new exhibits. The collection contains thousands of artifacts and was spread out over several buildings. The NCCC team moved all the artifacts into the hospital and began cataloging the collection. Most of the artifacts in the collection were unmarked, so the team likened it to Christmas: opening up boxes and finding out what was inside. The items not on display were then properly stored using museum-quality boxes and packaging. This process turned out to be a bigger project than expected. The team spent almost three weeks cataloging and storing artifacts.

Quinn, Tessa, and Brooke catalog the Pioneer Daughters Collection in the historic hospital/cafeteria at Fort Totten State Historic Site.

In addition to the two main objectives, every NCCC team brings with them the third objective of recruitment and community engagement. With a little help from site staff, the team set up a recruitment booth at the local college, participated in a career fair, and conducted an interview with both the local newspaper and the local radio station. The team was grateful for the assistance from Fort Totten State Historic Site.

Working with an AmeriCorps NCCC team this fall was a great experience. The young men and women of NCCC have a really positive attitude. They enthusiastically took on any task that presented itself, whether speaking on a morning radio show or cleaning out a dusty, old building. It was rewarding to spend time with future leaders who show so much potential, and we look forward to doing it again.

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