I can see doing this. I wonder if I could drag Cindy along. It is hard to picture her in buckskins.
Sunday, June 18, 2006
2006 Santa Fe Rendezvous
Do you remember hearing the name Jim Bridger? How about Jeremiah Johnson? These two men were Mountain Men. They trapped beaver, lived among the Indians and generally lived very tough and tumble lives in and around the Rocky Mountains in our nations raw new lands during 1820-1850. Well I have a certain fascination with these legends and with the lives they lived. I would have been dead in a week if I had to live like them. Perhaps that is why I am interested in hearing more.
There are scores of others like me who are interested in this period. Some of you perhaps know of others interested in living history. Our good friend Char Shirven works from time to time at Old World Wisconsin as a living history interpreter. She dresses the part and talks to tourist or school groups about life on a Norwegian immigrant farm of 130 years ago. Cathy & Mark Bartell are re-enactors. They go to re-enactments and dress the part of soldiers from the time of the American Revolution. Some of those doing it take it very seriously (have to use eyeglass frames that are made using designs from that period) while others take things a bit more casually. It depends on the group. The whole concept sounds very interesting to me. Perhaps I will get into it also. Can’t you just see me in buckskins. beaver hat, moccasins and beads? Rugged!
Well the Santa Fe Rendezvous is for people who want to taste what living in the pre-1840 American West was like. There are Rendezvous held all over the world. Many Europeans just go ga-ga over American West history and hold these events there also.
I’m assuming everyone knows what a Rendezvous was. Mountain men and trappers worked in the wilderness apart from civilization for months at a time while hunting and trapping. After many months their supplies needed replenishing and they needed to get rid of the furs they had accumulated. So the Rendezvous or gathering was born. At some agreed upon location the trappers and traders met to drink, dance, socialize and do business. After a month or so the trappers were ready to go out into the wilderness again and start all over.
I knew I was in for something interesting when the first thing I witnessed at this Rendezvous was someone skinning a beaver. Right there under a tree a guy dressed in buckskins used a big knife to take the hide off a fairly large beaver. I won’t go into more detail to protect the sensitivities of some in the audience. I’ll just say that he knew what he was doing.
The camp was filled with tents and tepees and mostly men selling what they had made. My friend Dennis makes and sells black powder muzzle loading flintlocks and other rifles. Others sold knives, axes, leather goods, food, crafts, supplies, etc. There were women around as well as some children. Each of them was dressed appropriately. One guy wore moccasins, loin cloth and a bowler hat. Interesting. Most others were more sensibly attired.
Off in one area people were practicing with bows and arrows and tomahawks. In still another location men & women were shooting at targets with their muzzle loaders. Man those guns are loud.
I wandered around for a time talking to the very friendly folks and looking at their wares. The guy in the loin cloth was selling spears that he makes from railroad spikes. Another guy from El Paso makes knives & tomahawks. Very nicely done and expensive. Some had authentic period pistols and rifles they proudly showed me. Some had been doing this for years along with their families while others were recent converts.
My friend Dennis invited me to go along with him to shoot at targets in the words. Saying “watch your feet for rattlesnakes” we trudged off. Once on the range we shot at targets shaped like bear, pig, rabbit and squirrel. He asked me if I wanted to shoot and of course I said “you bet!” Those muzzle loaders are heavy. Once it was loaded he showed me how to hold it and shoot. I put it against my shoulder, pointed at the target of a pig 30 yards away. WHAM! I jerked back a bit in awe of the sound those things make. I had hit the target. We continued on for a total of 15 targets. I took shots at 4 and hit 2. Not too bad I thought. The last target was of a bear and it was 120 yards away. He hit it and I didn’t try.
It was fun being there. I discovered that these events are held all over so next time I’ll go to someplace closer. This one was in Raton, NM on the border with Colorado. It was a 6 hour drive.
From there I drove up to Canon City, CO and met up with Laura & BJ. While in Canon City we went to Royal Gorge and then Whitewater Rafting. That’s another adventure story.
There are scores of others like me who are interested in this period. Some of you perhaps know of others interested in living history. Our good friend Char Shirven works from time to time at Old World Wisconsin as a living history interpreter. She dresses the part and talks to tourist or school groups about life on a Norwegian immigrant farm of 130 years ago. Cathy & Mark Bartell are re-enactors. They go to re-enactments and dress the part of soldiers from the time of the American Revolution. Some of those doing it take it very seriously (have to use eyeglass frames that are made using designs from that period) while others take things a bit more casually. It depends on the group. The whole concept sounds very interesting to me. Perhaps I will get into it also. Can’t you just see me in buckskins. beaver hat, moccasins and beads? Rugged!
Well the Santa Fe Rendezvous is for people who want to taste what living in the pre-1840 American West was like. There are Rendezvous held all over the world. Many Europeans just go ga-ga over American West history and hold these events there also.
I’m assuming everyone knows what a Rendezvous was. Mountain men and trappers worked in the wilderness apart from civilization for months at a time while hunting and trapping. After many months their supplies needed replenishing and they needed to get rid of the furs they had accumulated. So the Rendezvous or gathering was born. At some agreed upon location the trappers and traders met to drink, dance, socialize and do business. After a month or so the trappers were ready to go out into the wilderness again and start all over.
I knew I was in for something interesting when the first thing I witnessed at this Rendezvous was someone skinning a beaver. Right there under a tree a guy dressed in buckskins used a big knife to take the hide off a fairly large beaver. I won’t go into more detail to protect the sensitivities of some in the audience. I’ll just say that he knew what he was doing.
The camp was filled with tents and tepees and mostly men selling what they had made. My friend Dennis makes and sells black powder muzzle loading flintlocks and other rifles. Others sold knives, axes, leather goods, food, crafts, supplies, etc. There were women around as well as some children. Each of them was dressed appropriately. One guy wore moccasins, loin cloth and a bowler hat. Interesting. Most others were more sensibly attired.
Off in one area people were practicing with bows and arrows and tomahawks. In still another location men & women were shooting at targets with their muzzle loaders. Man those guns are loud.
I wandered around for a time talking to the very friendly folks and looking at their wares. The guy in the loin cloth was selling spears that he makes from railroad spikes. Another guy from El Paso makes knives & tomahawks. Very nicely done and expensive. Some had authentic period pistols and rifles they proudly showed me. Some had been doing this for years along with their families while others were recent converts.
My friend Dennis invited me to go along with him to shoot at targets in the words. Saying “watch your feet for rattlesnakes” we trudged off. Once on the range we shot at targets shaped like bear, pig, rabbit and squirrel. He asked me if I wanted to shoot and of course I said “you bet!” Those muzzle loaders are heavy. Once it was loaded he showed me how to hold it and shoot. I put it against my shoulder, pointed at the target of a pig 30 yards away. WHAM! I jerked back a bit in awe of the sound those things make. I had hit the target. We continued on for a total of 15 targets. I took shots at 4 and hit 2. Not too bad I thought. The last target was of a bear and it was 120 yards away. He hit it and I didn’t try.
It was fun being there. I discovered that these events are held all over so next time I’ll go to someplace closer. This one was in Raton, NM on the border with Colorado. It was a 6 hour drive.
From there I drove up to Canon City, CO and met up with Laura & BJ. While in Canon City we went to Royal Gorge and then Whitewater Rafting. That’s another adventure story.
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