“Beans to Bullets: Frontier Foodways” living history program

On May 20 and 21 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Fort Gibson Historic Site will host a living history program titled “Beans to Bullets: Frontier Foodways.”

Soldiers, settlers, and pioneers of Oklahoma had to gather, hunt, grow, and prepare food to sustain their lives on the frontier. Visitors will see Fort Gibson’s hunting equipment and hear about various methods of food preparation, including how to make items that were easy to preserve such as salted meats and hardtack. Guests will also have the opportunity to go inside the Fort Gibson bake house to see how soldiers prepared loaves of bread that were a staple in their diet. To learn more about the Civil War–era stone oven, experience the “Feeding an Army” issue of Crossroads, the OHS’s online publication. At Fort Gibson, vegetable gardens also were planted in the warmer months to grow fresh ingredients that staved off scurvy and sustained the fort’s inhabitants through the harsh winter.

This program is free with paid admission, which can be purchased at the commissary located at 907 N. Garrison Ave. or at the office located within the palisade grounds. Please call 918-478-4088 for more information. Fort Gibson Historic Site is a National Historic Landmark.