New member

[Ian]

Howdy fellers I'm new here wanted to formally introduce myself I'm Ian I'm from Oklahoma. I'm a member of a reenactment club the Beaver Creek Free Trappers we portray pre-1840 rocky mountain fur trade era. I like to consider myself fairly crafty I've made all my own gear except one knife sheath my brother made for me. I'm probably not the most period correct guy you'd meet but I have a good time and am eager to learn so anything y'all wanna teach me my eyes and ears are open. Thank y'all and watch your backtrail

[leatherstocking]

Welcome Ian

An old friend Carney Pace said to me back in about '77.....while examining my "Lyman plains rifle", while I studdered and kicked the dirt, making excuses for my less than "period correct" rifle. "It's a fine gun and we all started somewhere". This is a good place to learn concerning the fur trade...with a couple of old timers like Chuck, Rod and young fellars like Isaac and others who are as gracious and learned as old Carney was.

Doug

[Ian]

I have a Dixie poor boy rifle that was built in the 50s I believe but the stock was broken and it now has a fancier piece of maple with a steel butt plate the fella who built it went ahead and put the grease hole in it but I'm not a big fan of having lube in it so I took a Canadian nickel and it fit perfectly so that's where I left it. I carry a buffalo powder horn with brass and silver tacks and a buckskin bag with trade cloth sewed up the sides.

[leatherstocking]

Ian

one of the things most "buckskinners" neglect is the development of their persona on actual historical individuals or specific types, but rather copy what someone else has done or what might tickle their fancy. Rendezvous is normally a terrible place to acquire historical information, mostly because the whole concept I think is more centered on a social commonality, rather than on the difficult research needed for "historical correctness". The "who, when and where" of an person's persona is of such vital significance and important as well if one wants more individuality in their portrayal of a "history" and not just a reproduction of a modern recreational phenomenon (rendezvous). To "stretch the envelope" of one's impression is to realize first that "free trappers" or even company men were not the only individuals in the west from early to middle 19th century. Besides trappers, there were hunters (early buffalo trade), traders, blacksmiths, herdsmen, teamsters, packers, soldiers, rangers, ministers/missionaries, wealthy adventures, artist, scouts and a myriad of other professions, not always as exciting and dangerous as those stouthearted trappers, but never the less important to the era and often times largely ignored in our living history fraternity. Even with an emphasis on trappers, there often seems to be so much of a commonality of dress and equipment almost equal to uniforms of sorts, rather than a in depth investigation of all types of clothing, equipment and weapons available and documentable to the early 50 years of western expansion.

I said all that to say......don't get stuck with merely a mental image alone. After over 30 years departure from "rendezvous" and fur trade impression, I am coming back slowly to a very narrow window of history (1832-1833) to recreate a Col. Dodge "type" impression of the "U.S. Mounted Ranger Battalion" I have done previously a later U.S. Dragoon (1846) but always wanted to do an earlier fur trade "military" impression.


The possibilities are almost endless!

[Ian]

I wanna be a free trapper around 1830 I have no interest in being a company man and I've always admired the Trappers that would get out there in that freezing cold water just to get that 1 plew then work all day cleaning fleshing and stretching all the hides from that day. I don't know that I wanna imitate any particular person or anything like that my character is more based off myself as to what I would want to carry and dress like rather than what someone else did I don't wanna be restricted to what someone else carried with them or wore for the simple fact that I've always wanted to live in this era and area but I do wanna be historically correct for equipment and dress. Granted none of my traps that I own are from this time period and my rifle is a capper but I'd really like to convert it to flint.

[Leifer]

Hello Ian! Welcome aboard!

Leifer

[Ian]

Thanks Leifer glad to be here.

[Jon]

Welcome Ian! I look forward to your posts.

Jon