The Clay County Historical Preservation Board approved its Nov. 6 minutes and spent the meeting refining a draft for a state historical marker for Fort Number 11, a member said. Jerry (S4), who led the marker discussion, described the latest draft as "in my view, something of an improvement over the last couple" and proposed adding a sentence emphasizing how army-built paths, roads and bridges improved regional transportation.

Board members said that further archival research from the National Archives has complicated earlier narratives about the fort'including references to disease and later settlement use'and that locating state citations would let them more precisely attribute historical claims. S4 said he and another member visited the National Archives to gather more detail but that additional findings sometimes challenged the simplified story previously circulated.

County staff and members emphasized that the state marker application cannot be submitted until the marker wording, up to three maps, GPS coordinates and a bibliography are complete. S5 (Beth) said she has not started the state application because she awaits finalized wording and precise site information; she offered to supply property-appraiser maps if needed. S3 confirmed the allowed text limit is 1,235 characters per side.

The board agreed S4 will revise the text to include the suggested transportation language and follow up with S5 once the exact installation site and GPS coordinates are identified. Once maps and supporting documentation are compiled, the county will seek the city's permission for installation inside municipal limits and proceed with the state application.

The board did not take a formal vote on the marker itself at the meeting; S1 closed the Fort Number 11 update after members agreed on next steps.