05 August 2016

A Friday Throw-Back: 31 Years Ago

Once upon a time, many moons ago, I belonged to a club of "historical reenactors" which began as the Terre d'Osage Courier des Bois,but quickly morphed into a group of early 1800s mountain men/trappers.

This hobby, by the way, is what got me started in black powder firearms. My first was a CVA Mountain Rifle in .45 ... but one is NEVER enough!

Evening entertainment consisted of acoustic instruments such as the hammer dulcimer and guitars.
We'd gather around a central campfire and sing (or at least hum) songs late into the night.


I played my guitar too, and a local artist captured one such evening. My image, guitar in use, now appears on a mural in the Citizens' Bank of New Haven, Missouri.
Many eked out a meager income by selling supplies which otherwise had to be home-made or mail-order, such as beeswax candles, stag-horn buttons, flints, candle lanterns, and sometimes shirts and moccasins. I made knee-high custom moccasin boots for a time, and did pretty well at it.
Most of us stayed in tipis, wickiups, or lean-tos. There were also a number of A-frame tents, being historically accurate and all.
About half of the club members appear in this photo; I'm the one in the red shirt. Happily, Star Trek rules didn't apply.
Another shot of my remarkably hairy face, at a winter camp.

8 comments:

threecollie said...

That looks like a lot of fun! My folks used to dress in full Scottish garb and go to a Revolutionary War reenactment at Johnson Hall in Johnstown. I still love to attend (in ordinary clothes) to shop at the market fair there. Best soap in the world.

Rev. Paul said...

It was a LOT of fun, and I miss it even now. But almost all my gear (lots of heavy canvas and forged iron implements) were given away as we prepared for our drive to Alaska. It just wouldn't fit in the truck after everything else was loaded.

Old NFO said...

Looks like good times! And nothing says you can't do it again... :-)

Rev. Paul said...

It was, and I well might, post-retirement. Ya never know. :)

Joy Jaster said...

Hey, I even did it a couple of times, Paul. I had a blast.

Rev. Paul said...

It was fun, usually family-friendly, and most folks were polite. Good stuff!

Rob said...

Padre, looks like fun.

Rev. Paul said...

It's an amazing hobby, Rob. You can't have anything invented after 1840 or so, so you have to do everything the old-fashioned way. Flint & steel to start fires, etc.