The Fire
Rendezvous started with a bang on Thursday evening when the Pole Creek fire roared near the north part of Pinedale. There was an emergency evacuation, causing Dr. Fred Gowans talk on the Iberian Horse to be cut short as smoke poured into town.
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Sheep Horn Bow
Michael Terry explains how Roger Daultry, of the rock bank "The Who", broke his $5000 sheep horn bow by pulling it backwards.
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Buffalo Tail Pouch
Mike Powell, of the American Mountain Men, shows the audience what you find under a buffalo's tail.
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Scroll down for more photos
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Rendezvous at the Museum
by Clint Gilchrist
July 15, 2007
Green River Rendezvous Days is the biggest weekend of the year at the Museum of the Mountain Man in Pinedale. The museum focuses on a wide variety of academic and educational programs. There was something for everyone with as many as four programs happening at the same time.
The museum introduced the first annual Rocky Mountain Fur Trade Journal and celebrated its publication with a forum. The forum started Thursday evening with “The Iberian Horse in the Fur Trade” by Journal editor, Dr Fred Gowans. Friday night the audience heard "Phillip Covington and a New Look at the 1828 Rendezvous” by Journal editor, Jim Hardee, before an awards ceremony and book signing. During the day on Friday and Saturday, all seven authors published in the Journal presented their papers. Subjects included:
- "Fame Over Misfortune: La Verendrye and the Opening of the Western Fur Trade", by Brad Tennant
- "The Yankee Pedlar: Introduction of Percussion Lock Firearms into the Far West", by Alex Miller
- "Hawaiians in the American Fur Trade", by Keith “Moki” Hipol
- “The Superior Dignity of Such a Character: Nineteenth-Century American Manhood and the Image of Kit Carson", by Dr. S. Matthew DeSpain
- "Perceptions of a Mountain Man: John 'Jeremiah Liver-Eating”'Johnston at Old Trail Town, Cody, Wyoming", by Nathan E. Bender
- "Forgotten in the Fur Trade: The Deerskin Trade of the High Plains and Intermountain West, 1540-1882", by Ken Zontek, Ph.D
- "Rocky Mountain Rivalry: The Hudson’s Bay Company’s Involvement in the American Fur Trade Rendezvous System", by Dale F. Topham
The American Mountain Men gave presentations on the day-to-day life on Mountain Men, gained from research and living the life for practical experience. Subjects covered included: “Firearms”, “Sign language”, “Beaver trapping/skinning/fur press”, “Mountain Man Clothing”, “Knives, tools, fire making”, “Horses, tack and packing”, and “Campfire stories and songs”.
Michael “Bad Hand” Terry has become a crowd favorite, coming to Pinedale for 15 years. He is a Plains Indian historian and expert. He studies historical records, then recreates the Plains Indians material culture by building items including clothes, tools, weapons, food, teepees, as authentic replicas of the era.
Lapita Frewin provided programs for kids. Children got to build simple traditional Indian items and take them home to keep.
All programs were free due to generous sponsorships from Shell Rocky Mountain Production, EnCana, PacificCorp and the Sublette County Museum Board. In addition, Shell funded and manned the buffalo burger lunch with all proceeds going to support the Museum.
Photos by Clint Gilchrist and Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online!
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