Bois de vache

[sean]

I was reading Garrard again and love his discussion of building campfires on the prairie Bois de vache is pure unadulterated bs. Its sorta camp equipment, but not something you go out and buy... intentionally, anyway.

We encamped on a slope using "bois de vache (dried buffalo excrement) for want of better fuel. We, on horses, selected the camp before the wagons came up; Mr. St. Vrain and I, Folger and Chadwick, and Drinker and Bransford, each pair taking an apishamore (saddle blanket), would collect our blankets full of fuel (for the "wood" lies in all directions), bring up to the intended fire, and off again until a pile several feet high would be collected. It burns freely, and catching the steelsparks like tinder; but being light, is soon fanned into a hot coal, and turns immediately into ashes. Wind prevails to such an extent on the prairie that no ashes are ever seen about a camp a day or two after the fire is made; nothing but black spots mark the site."

Sean

[Lloyd]

I remember reading that long ago, but,,,,,, for some reason, I never caught the part about dried buffalo pies catching and holding a spark from a steel.......

Now I am going to have to go up to Brown's Buffalo Ranch (just 10 or so miles north of here) and harvest me some chips and let them dry out.... I just have to try that out...

Wonder if dried cow pies would do the same thing???
And, then, perhaps it has to be dried by the hot sun on the Canadian or Arkansas....

[jeffp]

I've done that before; used them, but didn't start the fire, so i can't
comment on the spark holding, but i DO remember our fire being rather
smoky, compared to a regular wood fire, and i also remember the food having
a slight "taste" to it from the smoke. We were using cow chips, not Buff,
and maybe ours wasn't dried out enough or something, but I'd sure as hell
rather use wood than cow chips, I do know that!

[Duane]

a pretty good fire can be made useing,good dry cow chips,but as one can imagine they need to be very dry

[Rod]

Yep, got to be very dry to make much of a fire---and even then, there won't be much flame. On the other hand, once lit, it's near impossible to put out. Around here, when we have a prairie fire, the cowpie's are a particular hazard, they smoulder forever even when wet, and will restart a fire.

Rod