Living amongst the Mountain Men, a true Wyoming gathering

IMG_6698Jimmy Buffet lamented in his wonderful lyrics in “A Pirate Looks at 40” that he was born in the wrong time:

IMG_6661Yes I am a pirate, two hundred years too late

The cannons don’t thunder, there’s nothing to plunder

I’m an over-forty victim of fate

Arriving too late, arriving too late

 

As we travel the American back roads we’ve stumbled upon some fascinating cultures that are committed re-enactors living the life they wished they’d been born into.

IMG_6700There are of course the popular and famous Civil War reenactments or the Renaissance Festivals.  Visit any of these fun events and you’ll see people that live, breath and are happiest when they are amongst fellow historical period enthusiasts.

IMG_6725But these events are tame in comparison with more niche groups like the Great Western Wars where there are virtually no spectators, just participants in full armor beating the crap out of each other.

Wyoming’s annual Mountain Man Rendezvous is somewhere between these.  It is held every year in the tiny hamlet of Fort Bridger, Wyoming in the Southwestern corner of the state.  For 5 days men, woman, families come from all over North America to set up camp and compete in skill challenges like Ax and Knife throwing, musket shooting with powder and ball, trap setting, archery , cast iron cookery and artisan skills that are preserved through this community.   We had been told about this from a Wyoming resident a few years ago and it’s been on our “gotta’ checkout list” ever since.

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Held at the Bridger State Historic park is named after the justifiably glorified real Mountain Man Jim Bridger.  For the modest fee of $4.00 you can step back in time. If you come in period clothing, admission is Free.  Hundreds of authentic tents and teepees create acres of encamped communities that are as much homes as they are exhibits.

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We ate, wandered, sang, shopped, talked and learned with these living historians for three days.  If you can, go one year to the Mountain Man Rendezvous.  Even better take the children in your lives.  This event is mostly participants that are competing for coveted recognition for their skills but visitors are welcome warmly.

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Fort Bridger Rendezvous

THE AMERICAN MOUNTAIN MEN ASSOCIATION

 

Mountain Men Movies

“The Mountain Men” with Charleston Heston and Brian Keith

“Jeremiah Johnson” with Robert Redford

 

9 thoughts on “Living amongst the Mountain Men, a true Wyoming gathering

  1. Hi Suzanne and John,

    Nice picture layout on your Mountain Men page. That’s neat that there are people who want to preserve the old crafts and skills. Sometimes, even as we become more technologically advanced, the low-tech approach is better and more practical, i.e. country cooking instead of haute cuisine or earthen/recycled materials architecture instead of glass and steel highrises.

    Also liked your Santa Fe tour video. Very informative and such a beautiful day with puffy clouds in the sky. Can’t believe how much the Canyon Road art gallery district has grown since I was there in the 1980s.

    • Hi George, thank you for your complement on the pictures. We had so many that were awesome, it was hard to select them. This was a fantastic event for people watching. The technology that these earlier times put into practice are truly amazing. Man is such a creative animal. Fun that you can reflect back on the Canyon Road in earlier times. It is still a really fun area to wander around. We still owe you the response on your family tree project. Will try and get something back to you this weekend. Always love hearing from you. Thank you.

  2. WHILE I WAS BORN IN THE 30’S I DO NOT REMEMBER THE DEPRESSION. WE WERE POOR BUT HAPPY. WE HAD FOOD AND SHELTER AND LOVE.I REMEMBER THE LATE 40’S AND THE 50’S AND THE 60’S. NO CROWDS ,NO TRAFFIC, NO PROCESSED FOODS, NO MACDONALDS,NO FAST FOODS. NO POSTERS OF MISSING CHILDREN AND YOUNG WOMAN. THE RACE CARD WAS HARDLY A PROBLEM IN CALIFORNIA AT THAT TIME. CALIFORNIA WAS AHEAD OF THE REST OF THE NATION
    WHERE RACE RELATIONS WERE CONCERNED. PEOPLE WHO CAME INTO THE NATION TO WORK WENT HOME AFTER THE JOB WAS COMPLETED. THERE WERE NO GANGS, NO DRIVE BY SHOOTINGS. ONLY FARMERS AND HUNTERS AND POLICE OFFICERS HAD GUNS BY NECESSITY.

    EVERYONE WAS SLIM. SCHOOL CHILDREN HAD TO TAKE PHYSICAL EDUCATION.THE WAR WAS OVER AND THE ECONOMY WAS GOOD. PEOPLE WERE HAPPY AND HEALTHY. SIMPLE THINGS BROUGHT PLEASURE; BIKE RIDING, CAMPING, DANCING,
    PICNIC’S IN THE PARKS,MOVIES ON A SAT. NIGHT,ROLLER SKATING, FRIENDS OVER FOR DINNER, PLAYING CARDS,
    HIDE AND SEEK, KICK THE CAN.
    YES, THIS IS THE TIME I WANT TO RETURN TO,AGAIN AND AGAIN. MOST LIKELY I ONLY REMEMBER THE GOOD TIMES.

    • I remember much of the same Nancy. It was a time of peace and prosperity. Thanks for sharing these pleasant memories of wonderful times. We can still do all of these things if we just remember to slow down and smell the roses. A picnic does sound like fun.

  3. Suzanne and John,
    I so much enjoy reading about your adventures. We are still setting up our home here in Ensenada and loving it after living on the boat for so long. However, having friends that are doing all sorts of adventurous things provides us the vicarious thrill of travel. Hope we run into you again somewhere.

    Barbara

    • Likewise Barbara! We love hearing about you living in Ensenada. Would love to hear what you like about your lifestyle there. You are living an adventure that would be of interest to lots of us.
      Hope you are enjoying a warm fall. Hasta Luega Amiga

  4. Hi Itchy and Scratchy,
    I lived in Gardena during my formative years, and way back then, in the 1950’s, swamplands still existed in southern California. Less than a mile from our home, vast areas of marshy, reed-covered swamps stretched from near Torrance Beach, inland for several miles. As a boy, my favorite pastime was riding my bike with my brothers to the edge of the marshlands, hide the bikes in the bushes, and slog our way into the swamp where we would ‘play pirates’.
    We gathered whatever driftwood and discarded lumber we could find, lashed it together using vines and old ropes, and built makeshift rafts; which we would then float, and pole around between the reeds and clusters of swam pine and cypress trees that formed the ‘jungle’ forests of our pirate’s dens.
    Several small islands were discovered in the shallow swamps, giving us the perfect setting to carry-out our pirate fantasy–from planning our assault on imagined trading ships, to burying our hordes of treasure chests, golden doubloons and jewels–in a setting fitting for the heartiest buccaneers.
    For boys in their preteen years, it was the perfect escape, and only the construction of the Harbor Freeway, shopping centers, and new housing developments could bring an end to our youthful exuberance.
    Doug Oudin–a pirate at heart.

    • Doug, love your wonderful stories of the old Southern California. We continue to struggle with reconciling the Southern California we fell in love with and the modern realities. Your writing is always excellent. Thank you!

  5. When I was a little girl I always looked forward to being a ballerina. I naver! What did you what to be? I always look forward to seeing the big Cities around the USA.

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