Cape Girardeau in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Bowling for Boredom

Fort D

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 21, 2021

1. Bowling for Boredom Marker

Inscription.
Rarely being on alert and never under attack, boredom and disease were the biggest enemies of the soldiers serving at Fort D. Soldiers passed their spare time reading, writing letters, playing cards, sewing, gambling, or playing music. Games played included baseball and pitching horseshoes.

In one recorded episode at Fort D, soldiers constructed wooden bowling pins from blocks of wood. They then used 32-pound cannonballs as bowling balls on a make-shift wooden-floored bowling alley. One of these soldiers, Benjamin Radford, commented “They were effective, when hit, and gave strength to our arms.”

Erected 2005 by Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau; and the City of Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Department.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Entertainment • Forts and Castles • War, US Civil.

Location. 37° 17.457′ N, 89° 31.584′ W. Marker is in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, in Cape Girardeau County. It can be reached from the intersection of Fort Street and Westport Street, on the right when traveling west. The marker is located on the Fort D Historic Site grounds, near the northwest corner of the museum. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 920 Fort Street, Cape Girardeau MO 63703, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Missouri. It is also in the American Ozarks,

in the Lewis & Clark Corridor,

in the Corn Belt,

and in the Great River Road Region.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

the Louisiana Purchase,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers.

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At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: 32-Pounder Seacoast Gun (here, next to this marker); Troglodytes (here, next to this marker); Quaker Cannon (a few steps from this marker); Marching with the 1st Nebraska (a few steps from this marker); Saving Fort D (a few steps from this marker); Down the Colorado (a few steps from this marker); The 20th Illinois Regiment (a few steps from this marker); Unwanted, Untrained & Indispensable (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Cape Girardeau.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Fort D Historic Site

Also see . . . Fort D Historic Site. (Submitted on November 28, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 21, 2021

2. Bowling for Boredom Marker

Looking south. Fort D Historic Site Museum in background.

Credits. This page was last revised on November 28, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 26, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 233 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 28, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.