Goal:

The goal of this project was to identify areas where Fort L'Huillier may have existed. The fort was constructed in 1700, but the found abandoned in 1702. The exact location of the fort is unknown, but a marker was placed in the area where it was believed to be. Historical documents were analyzed for clues that led us to define our model variables for this project.

Process:

I took the following main steps to complete this project:

1. uploaded a georeferenced pdf image of a plat map of the area from 1860.
2. Added a shapefile to draw polygons of previous search areas and Indian trails.
3. Uploaded elevation map of the area.
4. Selected all elevations below 800 feet.
5. Added a shapefile and drew a polyline representing the path of the river in 1860 starting 1/4 a league from the mouth of the Blue Earth river and proceeding for 3/4 league.
6. Drew a buffer on the river polyline .25 miles to the west.
7. Utilized Intersect tool to find the area where all variables were present.
8. Added in an ESRI baselayer from today for reference.
9. Designed the map layout with appropriate features.

Outcome:

The search area map produced is shown below. We identified the search area as being located on the west bank of the river in a low lying area. Searches have already been conducted in parts of this area with no indication of the fort found. The historical marker placed for the fort is not located within our search area and many belive it does not represent the location of the fort.