Camp Floyd was built during the "Utah War" of 1857-1858 when the U.S. government mistakenly thought that the Mormon settlers were going to rebel against the country. President Buchanan sent Colonel Sidney Johnston and a group of soldiers to quash the supposed uprising. Meanwhile, when the Mormons heard about the army marching toward them, they immediately became defensive because of the many hardships and trials they had endured in Missouri and Illinois. They were going to do everything it took to keep their property and homes. The misunderstanding led to some skirmishes and bad feelings on both sides.
During its height, Camp Floyd grew to 7,000 people and was the largest military installation in the United States. When the government realized that no rebellion was ever planned, they quietly left and the whole thing became known as "Buchanan's Blunder."
When we went, the park was pretty empty. There weren't a lot of people there, and the actor's that were supposed to be setting up for a re-enactment were pretty unorganized. Despite the lack of organization, we had a fun time. The kids learned a lot and got to do some hands-on things like hold a musket and canon ball, wash some clothes on a washing board, and tour the museum. We also got to watch them fire a replica canon, which was really cool!
After we got done with the little booths and activities, we had some lunch and the kids played around for a while. The weather was delightful with amazingly blue skies and perfect temperatures. We had a good time hanging out with the Olsons and enjoying a slower-paced adventure. I'm glad we tried something new and got out into the sunshine for a few hours.
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