Pictures from Ft Union Rendezvous

[JW_Halverson]

Some folks know I dress in funny clothes and make believe I live in olden days.  One of my favorite places, Fort Union on the confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers operated between 1828 and 1867.  It was built by John Jacob Astor's American Fur Company and existed in peaceful trade with all the tribes in the area. Today's Fort Union is a reconstruction based in part on the archaeological evidence recovered during those and later excavations completed between 1986 and 1988.

Front gate:


View thru front gate showing the Bourgeois (pronounced 'boosh-way') House:


Along the wall inside the fort was a "rampart".  View of the inside of the courtyard within:


Under the canvas in the bottom of the previous photo is the location of the blacksmithing forge.  Above and to the left is wooden framing showing the housing for the working class employees. The building in the right hand side of the photo has a sod roof and housed the Trade Room where a large fireplace warmed the room and gifts could be exchanged with visiting tribes prior to commencing the hard fought haggling over the exchange of goods and furs. And just to the left of the Bourgeois House you will see the open gate at the back of the fort.  In the large field behind the fort, tribes would come en masse and camp in the spring during "trade season".  And that is where we set up the camp for the Rendezvous!

[JW_Halverson]

Some camps are small and simple.



While other voyageurs come from much further:


That canoe, by the way, would be small for the French voyageurs for the Hudson Bay Company.  It would only carry 3,100 lbs of merchandise and/or furs. 

[JW_Halverson]

Unlike most modern re-enactment rendezvous, this one has no shooting competitions, no tomahawk or knife throwing events either. Instead, re-enactors and traders of period goods are invited as "bait" to draw in tourists! Some folks balk at this, but the event is one that offers a great deal of educational opportunities.  Over the years, many well known historians have come in to give talks thru the day and this year's speaker was Rex Allen Norman. 

Other less well known historians give of their time to provide educational experiences, too. Here's Gordon Lucht spinning pots and giving historical context to the pottery he makes:


And an  even lesser well known history buff:

He was ruining a nice stave of vine maple from Carson Brown (CMB)

Not content to let his work speak for itself, here he is running off at the mouth:


At least he used OTHER people's bows for the most part to represent what Primitive Archery means:


From the top, an Oddawa inspired bow in the works, mostly stolen from Rich Rouseau's (half eye) teaching. Then a classic American Flatbow from Sidewinder. Below that is a maple bow with black tips and red banding below that, again from half eye. Below that is a short little ironwood Ojibway made by half eye and admired by everyone that walked within 50 ft of the place!  The very short hickory is one made by the guy in the photos, pulls 50# at about 22" and is waiting for sinew and hideglue backing.  The osage shorty with recurved tips, pin nocks and a hole in the limb is "Froggy" made by Jon_W, a mere 78# at 26", famous for making it's owner nearly crap his pants trying to just get it strung once. The snake skinned osage next to the bottom was from SA (Sean Acker) and he got it in a bow trade a few years ago.  What can be said, it's a shooter! Last but certainly far from least is a 63# at 26" eastern red cedar made by Young Bowyer when he was just 14 yrs old.  Probably my, I mean HIS, prize possessions, even if he rarely shoots it.  That bow's name is Grace, a fitting name.

[JackCrafty]

 

[wildman]

Great pics J.W. I love that stuff. We have a little one coming up in a few weeks. We are about 75-100 yrs behind ya here.

[Pat B]

    

[stickbender]

     Cool!   It's OK J.W.  Most tourist don't know a self bow from a shingle.   So when they asked where restrooms were, did you hand them a shovel, and tell them, pick a spot, but you would appreciate it, they would make the hole at least a foot and a half deep, and be sure to cover it up, as it is difficult to see with a candle lantern.   So did you let them see you shaving with a straight razor?  Is that why there were no close ups?  That is still quite a canoe.  You need to take fly fishers down the river in it.  You could load up quite a few in it.  Charge a bargain price of $75.00 each, for an hour, and $30.00 each half hour after that.  Snacks and refreshments are included of course.  They can even keep the toy, and swap with each other, if they did not like the one that came in their particular  Happy,Meal, or for a nominal fee, they can choose one from the ones in the on board supply, you carry just for that occasion.  Glad you get to do that sort of thing.  Makes you appreciate what our ancestors went through.  Just the thought of no toilet paper, or deodorant, would make for some irritable people back then, and those around them, picking at their seat, and sniffing their own arm pits, and wondering if it is their under arms, or the seat of thier pants that they are smelling.   I would imagine that it must have been quite wonderful, riding on a stage coach in august, for about fifty miles a day, or so, and having a distance of 800 to go, before coming to the first flea bag town.  Oh, and the meals at the stations, must have been wonderful also.  Hey, Bub, this h'ar meat ain't lookin so too pretty good any more, and it is a bit odiordiffferious too!  Want me to fetch it to the dogs so;s they can roll in it?  Nah, Lem, jes slice it up, and put it in the pot, with them oinons and taters, and put a little extra salt in it, and some more pepper, extry carrots, and when the stage gets here, they can have it.  I'm going to go out and get another antelope for us to eat.  Oh, yeah, take that big grasshopper, that pack rat out of it afore you serve it to them stage coach people.  Oh, and don't forget to give the good food to the drivers, we don't want them turning around, and coming back here in ten minutes like last time, and shooting holes in the stove, and nearly us!  Yeah, that must have a real fun time also.  But I suppose that they did not have anything to compare it to, so they thought they were pretty fortunate, to be able to afford the luxury of riding in a stage coach, instead of riding on horse back, or a wagon.  But I would imagine a wagon would be much more comfortable than a bouncing, and swaying stage coach.  Plus you could stop when you needed to enrich the flora of the area with nutrients that you had personally processed.  And you would have water to quench your thirst.  Anyway, I wonder how many of the modern class of Americans could make it if we were suddenly thrown back into those times.  Would not be a pretty sight.  I wonder if women were given "nosegays" (little sachet's of popouri When they got on the stage.  I would imagine that they would have several with them before going to the stage station.   They have a mini rendezvous In Thompson falls, on David Thompson days, and they have canoes like that one.  Kinda pricey I bet.  Thanks for the pictures, and the teller of tall tales, character, with all them bows whut he was accosted with, by them sneaky savages, but thankfully, with his trusty knife, and hawk, he was able to whip em, and take these tokens of battle.  Not mentioning the fact that, said character had plied them with plenty of fire water, of questionable quality, and safety, before hand, and had traded a hand full of seed beads for them.   thanks again.

                                                                                Wayne

[chamookman]

Way cool JDub - Thanks for sharing ! Good on You for passing it on. Too bad that was sooooo far from Me. I'm about due for a trip back to Fort Michimilimac (sp) here in Northern Michigan at the Straights. Lot's of History there too. Bob

[TRACY]

Nice pics! Liking that scalloped bow on the end. Been thinking about giving it a go here soon.

Tracy

[PEARL DRUMS]

Very cool JW. That's my style of gathering right there...............minus the dud's

[Pat B]

You mean rendezvous in the buff, Pearlie? 

[PrimitiveTim]

hah, cool stuff!  It's always fun to share with uninfected folks 

[Josh B]

Too cool JW!  Looks like a good time was had for sure!  Josh

[bubby]

look's like it involves two of your favorite pastimes, dressing up and spinning tails

[Badly Bent]

Nice pictures and descriptions of the activities JW. That looks like a great gathering to attend, as a spectator or a participant.
Sweet collection of bow laid out there as well.