MOUNTAIN MAN RENDEZVOUS; WOULD-BE TRAPPERS GATHER FOR SLICE OF `THE LIFE'.Byline: BRETT PAULY For years growing up, I insisted to my parents and anyone else who would lend an ear that I was born two centuries too late. They grew tired of hearing me say, ``I should have been a mountain man'' . . . or something to that effect. Life was too easy. Mom simply drove to the grocery store to get food with the money Dad made at work. What ever happened to shooting a deer for dinner with the new flintlock flintlock Ignition system for firearms developed in the early 16th century. It superseded the matchlock and the wheel lock and remained in use until the mid-19th century. The most successful version, the true flintlock, was invented in France in the 17th century. rifle acquired in a trade for beaver pelts? And what about those buckskin buckskin body coat color in horses, varies from yellow to almost brown; the points, including mane, tail, lower limbs are brown to black. clothes crafted from that same deer? It was my father's fault. He would read to me and my brothers stories of Blackfoot Indians and Montana frontiersmen. Soon I became a fur trapper, befriending Kit Carson, Jedediah Smith For the United States Representative from New Hampshire, see . Jedediah Strong Smith (born January 6, 1799 - presumed date of death May 27, 1831) was a hunter, trapper, fur trader and explorer of the Rocky Mountains, the American West Coast and the Southwest during the and Jim Bridger Jim or James Bridger (March, 1804 – July 17, 1881) was among the foremost mountain men, trappers, scouts and guides who explored and trapped the Western United States during the decades of 1820-1840. He was also well known as a teller of tall tales. . The illusion lasted years, and I still think of it now and again. When I recently discovered there were such events as the annual Mountain Man Rendezvous in the lonely Nevada sage and chaparral northeast of Bridgeport, I just had to find out how serious these guys were about living the life of their predecessors. Would they really have rather been born at a time to witness the annual trappers' gatherings in the Rocky Mountains Rocky Mountains, major mountain system of W North America and easternmost belt of the North American cordillera, extending more than 3,000 mi (4,800 km) from central N.Mex. to NW Alaska; Mt. Elbert (14,431 ft/4,399 m) in Colorado is the highest peak. that began in 1825? Designed to save mountain men from traveling long distances to various trading posts Trading posts The positions on the floor of a stock exchange where the specialists stand and securities are traded. , each get-together, known as a rendezvous, was a trade fest at which staples and supplies could be purchased and contests of skill staged. The tradition continues today with tomahawk-toting wanna-bes dressed in period attire. Largely to my disappointment, most of the guys I spoke to were content with contemporary living, where credit cards speak In the game of poker, the term cards speak ("for themselves") is used in two contexts: First, it is used to describe a High-low split game without a declaration. That is, in a cards speak game, players all reveal their hands at the showdown, and whoever has the highest hand louder than beads and bear hides. ``I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. that I would go back in time,'' said Ed Douglass of Stockton, donning pants crafted from an elk he shot with a black-powder rifle. The beads decorating the Modesto City Schools transportation supervisor's hide pullover were made from Czechoslovakian glass in the same style and color prevalent in the pre-1810 era. As a child, Douglass was fascinated with Davy Crockett and coonskin caps coonskin caps raccoon cap with tail worn in recognition of Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone revival (1950s). [Am. Hist.: Sann, 30] See : Fads . As an adult, he switched to hunting with bows and black-powder firearms after finding modern rifles no longer provided a challenge. ``It's fun to go back for a few days, but it's nice to go home and take a shower,'' said Douglass on Saturday. ``I like the part about going to a grocery store. The rendezvous is just a release.'' Kurt Phillips of Klamath Falls Klamath Falls, city (1990 pop. 17,737), seat of Klamath co., SW Oreg., at the southern tip of Upper Klamath Lake; inc. 1905. It is the processing and distribution center of a lumber, livestock, and farm area. , Ore., prides himself on the authenticity of his garb, from his foxhide hat to his cotton drop-sleeve shirt to his moccasins. The braiding, or wrapping, of his ``leathers'' is copied from traditional Indian style. A utility knife A utility knife (also called a box cutter, a Stanley knife, a razor blade knife, a carpet knife, or a stationery knife) is a common tool used in various trades and crafts for a variety of purposes. and decorative arrowhead hangs from his neck. Phillips built ``from the ground up'' a replica of a 1850-era Sam Hawken long-barrel, .54-caliber black-powder rifle based on original blueprints. It will shoot 10 rounds in of six-inch ``group,'' or pattern, around a bull's-eye at 300 yards. ``I defy anybody with any rifle to do that offhand off·hand adv. Without preparation or forethought; extemporaneously. adj. also off·hand·ed Performed or expressed without preparation or forethought. See Synonyms at extemporaneous. ,'' he said. But would the man known near and far for his prowess in throwing knives and tomahawks have preferred living in the day when his life may have depended on the skill. ``Not really,'' said Phillips, a native of Burbank. ``I'm a machinist and electrician by trade. This is sort of a getaway from everyday life and to do something different. ``(The late American naturalist American Naturalist is a monthly scientific journal, founded in 1867 and associated with the American Society of Naturalists. It is published by the University of Chicago Press. The journal covers ecology, evolutionary biology, population, and integrative biology research. ) Aldo Leopold Aldo Leopold (January 11, 1887 - April 21, 1948) was a United States ecologist, forester, and environmentalist. He was influential in the development of modern environmental ethics and in the movement for wilderness preservation. called it the contrast value to your everyday life. Plus it's competition, it's shooting. You take an antique piece of equipment and it's a lot of fun to make it perform.'' ``It's fun to research it and role-play,'' Phillips said. ``But mountain men didn't have antibiotics and anesthetics Anesthetics Drugs or methodologies used to make a body area free of sensation or pain. Mentioned in: Appendectomy . They didn't have teeth or long lives.'' At this point I was seriously rethinking my passion for time travel. I'm really quite attached to my teeth. Besides, this being my first rendezvous, I didn't own any buckskin, and it had been a while since I had forged a knife. My battered wafflestompers and sweatshirt emblazoned with ``Rodeo'' didn't exactly scream Wild West. The scene itself was kind of a letdown. I enjoyed the primitive era with the 19-century tents and ``traders row,'' but there were too many RVs - ``tin teepees'' - for my liking. I was about to give up on my pursuit of finding a misplaced mis·place tr.v. mis·placed, mis·plac·ing, mis·plac·es 1. a. To put into a wrong place: misplace punctuation in a sentence. b. mountain man until I stumbled onto Woodland Hills' Joe Crow at a black-powder shoot in a narrow canyon less than a mile into Nevada's Lyon County Lyon County is the name of five counties in the United States:
Recently retired from selling construction hardware, the 64-year-old Crow - ``like the bird or the whiskey'' - truly feels he came into this world too late. ``Yes. Oh, yes. I should have been born about 1800. I'd have been as happy as can be,'' Crow said as ignited powder collided with metal balls and the resulting smoke rose behind him. What about today's society irks you? ``Nobody wants to stand up and take responsibility for themselves,'' Crow said. ``Back then it was just about freedom. You were on your own hook; you were responsible for yourself. You took care of yourself, your friends or whatever was there. And the kids today, they don't know that. They don't take care of themselves. It's, `Mom, give me some money. Mom, take me here.' '' OK, but you wouldn't have lived as long in the early 19th century. ``True, the old-age factor was not there,'' said Crow, who is attending this week's Sespe Rendezvous out of Ojai (see accompanying story). ``Living was more of a challenge.'' Self-reliance is an important creed by which to live. My wife calls me crazy, but as nice as modern conveniences are I'd rather have taken my chances with beaver traps and Indian medicine. I'll rely on the written word and a rendezvous here and there to provide that imagery. MOUNTAIN MEN UNITE The 27th annual Sespe Rendezvous, a celebration of the pre-1840 fur trade era replete with black-powder shooting events, pistol and revolver contests, cannon matches, tomahawk tomahawk [from an Algonquian dialect of Virginia], hatchet generally used by Native North Americans as a hand weapon and as a missile. The earliest tomahawks were made of stone, with one edge or two edges sharpened (sometimes the stone was globe shaped). throws and knife tosses, continues today through Sunday at the Ojai Valley Gun Club. Other highlights include a buy-sell-barter traders row, a period-attire contest at 1 p.m. Saturday and a barbecue dinner and live music that night. Pancake breakfasts will be served Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 7-10 a.m. Shooting events are $25 for adults and $5 for ages 15 and younger. First-come, first-served camping is available for $25, which includes one shooter's fee. Bring your own food, water and firewood; modern firearms are not permitted in camp. To reach the gun club, drive north from Ojai on Highway 33 less than 15 miles to Rose Valley Road, the gateway to the Rose Valley Recreation Area. Turn right and proceed 3.1 miles. Spectators are welcome. Information: (805) 649-4558. CAPTION(S): 3 Photos, Box PHOTO (1--Color) ``This is kind of getting back to the way it used to be,'' said retired Los Angeles Police officer Dick Clark of Gardnerville, Nev., after firing his black-powder rifle. (2) Below, Stockton's Ed Douglass, left, and Kurt Phillips of Klamath Falls, Ore., pose in period garb at the Mountain Man Rendezvous outside of Bridgeport. (3--Color) Kurt Phillips, who has won tomahawk-throwing contests at previous regional and national rendezvouses, takes aim during the recent Mountain Man Rendezvous. Brett Pauly/Daily News BOX: MOUNTAIN MEN UNITE (see text) |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion