[TheForge] Re-enactors

[Rob Fertner]

Mountain men rendezvous were the early 1800s. Check for any muzzleloader
clubs in your area. Some of the blackpowder shooters are also into
reenactments. When my son was younger and in the Boy Scouts, we would go to
a big camporee called Trappers Rendezvous here in Kansas. It was a
council-wide camporee held in January. There was a group of reenactors there
with their campsite showing various mountain man skills. There was firing
ranges set up for black powder and air rifle. There was always a line at
both.
What I liked about it was a custom of "horsetrading". The boys were
encouraged to bring something handcrafted and/or material that can be used
to handcraft something. Boys from different troops would wander from
campsite to campsite bartering their goods. At our campsite I set up a small
forge and made some campfire rakes for our boys to take out to trade. They
were like a forge fire rake but with a lot longer handle. I had made ahead
of time a campfire cooking rack (2 uprights with a cross piece to hang pots
from) and my son went out to trade with it. Over by the reactors camp was an
actual Trapper. He made a living at that and making hats, coats, clothes for
the reenactment trade. Well, my son saw a fur hat that he liked and offered
to trade the trapper for it. He counter offered my son a beaver pelt for the
rack and my son can make his own hat. My son came back to camp with a nice
prime beaver pelt. He thought it was so cool as it was, he never did make a
fur hat. I traded a kid for a deer leg bone that I used for a handle on a
seax blade. Some January's it was real cold weather camping and I remember
one year it was so mild the high was in the 50's. 

Rob

-----Original Message-----
From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Larry Brown
Sent: Friday, November 14, 2008 3:59 AM
To: theforge at mailman.qth.net
Subject: [TheForge] Re-enactors

Hi
The Boy Scouts in my area, Staten Island NY, are holding their yearly 
Camporee in May of 09. The theme for next year is a mountain man 
rendezvous. Does anyone here do that type of re-enacting or can you point 
me in a direction in my area? I think they are looking for a demonstration 
but the group could probably camp there or they might want them to. I think 
the time period for this is late 1800s?
Any ideas?
Thanks
Larry Brown

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