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The Lore of Pioneer Crafts
| Article
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10116 |
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Section : |
LIFE
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| Issue
Date : |
4 / 1993 |
2,247 Words |
| Author
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Varda Avnisan; photographed by Richard Nowitz
Varda Avnisan writes travel stories and children's books.
Richard Nowitz's photographs appear frequently in National
Geographic World, Smithsonian Air & Space, and Mid-Atlantic
Country. |
Eat dust, read the makeshift sign at the foot of the mountain leading to my destination. I did. An eight-mile drive on an unpaved, narrows, and winding road through a dense forest of ponderosa pines produced a cloud of dust that trailed behind my car, creating a veil of haze that obstructed the scenery. The bumps didn't help either, and through I closed all the windows, the dust came in through the cracks.
As I finally came out of the forest, a camp became visible. Countless white tepees towering against the clear blue sky were huddled together in a clearing surrounded by yet more ponderosa pins. Behind them in the distance, the snowcapped Rocky Mountains rose majestically, casting their shadow on the camp.
It was a fitting site for the Western Buckskin Rendezvous. The Beaverhead National Forest, a pristine and remote wilderness near dewy, Montana, was located as far away as possible from anything that would suggest that progress had reached this part of the country.
Every year the rendezvous draws thousands of Americans with their families, horses, pets, and crafts--to re-create a period in America's past. They journey back to the years 1640-1840.
In that era, regional trading fairs drew the diverse people who inhabited the untamed landscape. It was here that mountain men, trappers, and traders bartered with friendly Indians as well as each other. The list of items trade was long and varied, including beads, knives, axes, kettles, arrows, Indian crafts, and local leather goods. Fur trappers offered a large quantity of beaver that was exported to England for the fashion industry.
Today's traders come from all walks of life. I met doctors and lawyers, artisans and merchants, and just plain folk who share an interest in the era. Observing the strict codes of loading and dress set by the organizers, the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association (NMLRA), they discard modern convenience and retreat into a primitive camping experience for a week.
The NMLRA was established in a 1933 following a revival of interest in muzzle-loading guns. In the early 1970's, the association began organizing shooting matches for its members, but soon it drew people more interested in the period in which the guns were made. "Many people decided that they would rather do the living history part not in place of the shooting but in addition to the shooting," Sharon
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