Artist representation of Fort Mosé in the late 1730s, copied from National Park Servce
In 1693, King Charles II of Spain decreed that runaway slaves would be granted asylum in Florida if they converted to Catholicism and served in the colonial militia. In 1738, Florida Governor Manuel de Montiano granted them a plot of land north of St Augustine where they could build their own settlement and fort. It was described as earthen-walled, with thatched huts, housed around one hundred people, and defended the northern approach to St Augustine. This was known as Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mosé, or simply Fort Mosé.
The British under James Oglethorpe attacked St Augustine in 1740. The free black militia counterattacked, but the fort was destroyed. Although it was rebuilt, it was never the same. After the 1763 Treaty of Paris, most free black inhabitants emigrated to Cuba with evacuating Spaniards.
This area is now protected as Fort Mose State Park. Archaeological digs have been conducted there, helping to learn more about the lives of the people who lived there.
Sources: National Park Service, Wikipedia, First Coast News
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One of the oldest roads in the state, Fort Road was originally built by the federal government after Fort Ridgely was completed in 1853-54. Supplies were shipped from Fort Snelling to Traverse des Sioux, then transported by wagon to Fort Ridgely.
Nicollet County Road 5 runs more than 42 miles from its eastern terminus at its intersection with US Highway 169 in St Peter to the Renville County line. Old Fort Road presumably extended from Traverse des Sioux, although the portion running through the campus of Gustavus Adolphus College has been blocked off. Fort Road as an address runs from the western edge of St Peter to the end of CR-5.
In an ideal world, a paved trail would have been installed when the road was refurbished in the early 2010s. This planned geocache trail will have to suffice, but won’t alleviate my anxiety when biking here.