Southern Cross Free Trappers

Welcome once again Around the Traps. Gosh, it’s hard to believe that our group has now enjoyed ten winter camps in the central highlands of Victoria. The first two were perhaps the toughest, camped at Andrew’s old farm, on that exposed south-facing slope of the Strathbogie Ranges, but didn’t we have fun anyway. One could cite classic memories ne’er to be forgotten, but really all of our Winter Quarters have been remarkable events, relived over and over around successive camp fires.

Our 10^th Winter Quarters had perhaps the briefest rollcall since we started camping at The Caveat. No matter, those who braved forecasted winter chills were rewarded with sunny days, starry nights and a most magnificent time. There was no shortage of fun, firewood or flintlock shooting. Each winterer was presented with an embossed leather commemorative medallion hand-crafted by Bob Ellis, as a special keepsake token to celebrate our ten years of achievement.

In this edition read about Ian Convey’s bead shoot, also George Mohr shares his Fort Frederick experience and photos; plus we unearth some old Muzzleloader poetry.

Winter Quarters – President’s Trade-Bead Shoot

Actually, this was a challenge event in which each participant was issued with a equal quantity of coloured glass pony beads. The scoring was then clearly explained to all – additional beads would be awarded for successfully completing various tasks, and for straight shooting, but participants would be fined a bead if they couldn’t complete any task assigned, or for having any non-authentic items in their gear.

Competitors were then told to assemble at the open-faced shelter in 5 minutes, with the necessary equipment to enable a two day trek, across a high barren plain to a trading post, to reprovision with horses and trapping gear. This scenario being necessary as hostile injuns had stolen all their horses and traps overnight.

Everyone assembled within the allotted time and each was then assessed on how well they were equipped. Each was asked to produce the following items:-

1. Their gun, powder and ball. No beads were forfeited!
2. A knife – again no loss of beads.
3. Fire lighting gear. All passed!
4. Food for the trek. Three went hungry and accordingly were fined beads.
5. A full water container. Over half went thirsty and lost beads.
6. A blanket or capote. Jim said he was so tough that he could sleep without either – Oh, yeah?  But there’s no firewood up on that high barren plain Jim – more beads lost.

On to the next test, everyone was then given three minutes in which to light a fire, having a sustainable flame, using only flint and steel. This resulted in some burnt fingers and a 60% pass, some blue beads were awarded to those successful within the time allocation.

Beads were forfeited for failing to light a fire in time, also for no water container, no food, no blanket/capote, and one for having a plastic stopper in a water bag.

Following a light lunch all proceeded to the designated safe shooting zone. The first targets to be shot at were three hanging gongs of diminishing sizes at about 32yds. A maximum of nine shots were allowed, three for each gong. A hit with the first shot gained three beads, if a second shot was needed then only two beads were awarded but if the third and final shot scored, only one bead was won. No hits meant no beads gained and no cigar – tough titty!

The next event was the 93yard buffalo gong target; a hit on the first shot was awarded three beads. If a second shot was needed only two beads were issued or one bead if the third shot was needed and scored. Maximum three shots allowed. Again no hits meant no blue beads, no vermillion and absolutely no foofaraw.

The finale of the Bead Shoot was a team can push. Teams were selected with roughly equal calibres. There was 10 minutes in which to push the cans as far as possible. The cans soon disintegrated into twisted chunks of scrap metal gradually becoming more distant with each shot. The winning team members gained five beads each.

The tally of beads at the end of the event was:- Peter 75; Paul 72; Tom 70; Murray 67; Chook 64; Jim 63; Charlie 56. As you can see, scores were fairly close and only one skinner ended up with fewer beads than originally issued. Participants kept their beads, while the overall prize of a small shooting bag with fancy hand woven strap, donated by Jenny Baker, was clearly won and presented to Peter.

Ian Convey

George and Kay Mohr share their Fort Frederick Market Fair experiences

Fort Frederick is a star shaped stone fort located near Big Pool in Northern Maryland.  Originally built in 1756-57 to provide protection from French incursions and Indian attacks. It was a base for militia and Rangers during the French and Indian War, a refuge for settlers during threats of Indian attack, a prisoner of war camp during the American Revolution and a Fort again during the Civil War before being abandoned in 1862.

The State of Maryland purchased the site in 1922 and reconstructed this large fort to the original plans during the 1930’s. It’s truly a great place to visit, but especially so on the annual Market Fair weekend.

The Fort Frederick Market Fair celebrated its 20th anniversary this year. It has to be one of the best gatherings in the US if you are interested in 18th Century arts and crafts – guns, knives, powder horns, shooting bags, clothing, artwork of all kinds, scrimshaw, quillwork, furniture, music, just about anything else you could want to see.

Many of the crafts people are Contemporary Longrifle Association members and are masters in their craft. There were 140 exhibitors in the trade area this year, but hundreds of additional trade blankets, street performers and musicians. Lots of costumed re-enactors! The event is open to the public each day. It isn’t a primitive rendezvous. There is plenty of food available, often prepared by local service organizations’ members who are doing their bit to raise a little money for local charities.

This is an event where you could buy all you need to get into colonial re-enacting, all quality items, in a single morning of fun shopping.

Kay and I had been to the Market Fair before, but we decided to stop by again on our way to Dublin. We attended all four days of the event – April 24-27 and the spring weather was just perfect every day. The event is usually on the last weekend in April.

If you want more, there’s another event on the following weekend at Bledsoe’s Fort in Tennessee, and the weekend after that is Martin’s Station near Cumberland Gap. All are superb events with a great opportunity to meet the people who you have been reading about for years.

As we had to travel on to Ireland, we made the short trip up to Gettysburg on Sunday afternoon, mailed our rendezvous gear back to Australia on Monday, spent the day looking at favourites in Gettysburg, then caught the flight to Dublin.

The Market Fair has so many things of interest. Many of the traders had pub style signs advertising their craft or establishment. We loved the signs! All in all it’s a great event. It’s worth a trip to the States just to go to the Fort Frederick Market Fair.

George

See more Market Fair photos from George & Kay on our Vol 49 Gallery Page.

Next Club Event

Spring Rendezvous and Annual General Meeting September 20 & 21.  AGM at 1pm Sat. 20^th. Our traditional Primitive weekend for Trade Blankets, banter and bunkum and the AGM or have I already stated that. Bring lots of cash, trade goodies, mules, five dollar plews, trade silver, scrimshaw, blue beads, vermillion, mirrors and such.

Safety is no accident!

Our safety requires a constant vigilance from each and every one of us.  Please re-read our Safety Rules document which is enclosed to all members with this newsletter. Additional copies available upon request.

Plunder from the Club President’s scrapbooks

Ian, thumbing through his oft revisited hoard of Muzzleloading Magazines, phoned me to suggest that this poem was most deserving of re-airing.  I’d never read the poem before and could only wonder how such fine lyrics could remain silent for 30 years since May/June 1984 when Muzzleloader cost only $2.00. Yes, it’s a trifle more now, but still great value. The poem, however, remains priceless and full credits go to the author and to Muzzleloader Magazine for first publishing it.

And the Lord said “Let There Be Flint” by Robert L Baxter 

Now the Lord he looked down,

With a faint little frown,

As he watched powder smoke drifting by;

He hitched up his robe,

And he scratched his earlobe,

And he spoke with a deeply heard sigh.

 

“It just grieves me to mention,

You’re not paying attention.

I provided, I thought, all you need,

But I’ve noticed, just now,

You’ve been straying somehow,

From the path I designed, so take heed!

 

I began at the start,

To develop each part,

I thought it all out very early;

I supplied you with trees,

Twisting slow in the breeze,

Forming maple, both stripe’ed and curly.

 

I put in the ground,

In a manner compound,

Many things that I thought you could use;

I put ore in the rocks,

For both lead balls and locks,

And the makings for buttplates and screws.

 

Then I nudged you a bit,

And you made it all fit,

You were slow, but I knew that you would

Build a tool for the time,

With a shape most sublime

From the steel and the brass and the wood.

 

And it pleased me no end,

I don’t need to pretend,

When you dressed it with inlays and all;

And the barrel you filled,

With some nitrate distilled,

Just under the patch and the ball.

 

Now the next thing, I bid,

Where myself I outdid,

Ranking up there with fire and wheel;

I spread on the ground,

And in rocks all around,

Things that spark when you hit ‘em with steel.

 

Then I laid on some hints,

And you picked up those flints,

Screwed one tight in the jaw of the cock;

And I smiled with content,

When the mainspring you bent,

And the pan flashed so nice on the lock.

 

But I’m saddened to say,

You got carried away,

You fell in a neatly laid trap;

That Ole Devil slipped in,

With another small sin,

He invented the fulminate cap!”

 

For Sale Lovely light blue woollen Capote with hood and contrasting red and white sash. Completely hand stitched with all new materials. Size – small men’s.  $150.00 Contact Murray, mobile 0498 111 372

 

Welcome again to our trapping-lines; we wish all readers good hunting, lots of fun shooting and superb re-enactment camping. Can you smell the smoke? Enjoy the read! 

Now be Fair Dinkum!

The 21^st century is really the age of smokeless powder, super short magnums, variable power telescopic sights, rangefinders, electronic tom-toms, infrared gizmos and such.  Now I can sense the blood pressure rising in all you true blue charcoal burning readers. Please stay with me just a few more lines.

I have often stated that, in my humble opinion, anyone who today picks up a muzzleloader firearm, and is enamoured by the romance of flint and steel, as their nostrils twitch or flare, questing for the acrid stench of burnt powder; while their mind is transported back to another time, is, by association, a re-enactor. I do declare that loading, shooting, fondling black powder firearms is re-enacting a bygone era.

So why is it that some re-enactors are half arsed about dressing up to compliment the fine historical arms we shoot? Let’s see now, we arrive at the rendezvous in our V6 mules, dressed in our jeans, tee shirts, runners or Blundstones; we erect a period style canvas tent, then we unload some period furnishings, fire irons, flintlock rifle and possibles bag; drive the mule to the parking lot, walk back to camp and then relax.

No need to don the funny clothes until tomorrow morning. That’s when the Rondy starts, isn’t it? Oh well, perhaps I’ll just slip my Hunting Shirt over my designer label tee and faded denim jeans. Half dressed and hardly fair dinkum!

It bemuses me that many of us put off dressing primitive in camp as long as possible, even though that is exactly what we came to do. I have noted before that at some American Rendezvous participants are expected to arrive in their period costume. Some might be embarrassed at the refuelling stops on route. But why? We should be proud of our hobby and happily promoting a wider awareness of black powder sports.

Oh, and then there are those tiresome few who deliberately test the system by introducing unauthentic gear and clothing, offering the well-worn feeble cliché that they would have used it – if they had of had it. Balderdash, absolute rubbish! Half dressed, half arsed and definitely not fair dinkum.

Way back in our very first Around the Traps I stated the need to be fair dinkum about our code of ethics to be truly living the history.  Shooting original and reproduction firearms goes hand in hand with dressing to compliment the black powder era and is  truly living history re-enacting, and that my friends, is a valid 21^st century activity.

Marksman or Markswoman. Open eyes and open mind. Let’s not be sexist!

Jenny Baker forwarded a copy of an old photo of Annie Oakley shooting with both eyes open, speaking her mind. “When a man hits a target they call him a marksman. When I hit a target, they call it a trick. Never did like that much.” – Annie Oakley

Rapidly approaching Club Event

Queen’s B’day w/e June 7^th 8^th & 9^th   A full three day event for serious hivernants from Saturday morning through to Monday afternoon. Our 10^th rondy in the Highlands of central Victoria and the 8^th at Bernard’s Cache: This promises to be a memorable Rendezvous with serious 1830’s overtures; casual shoot challenges with blue beads, mirrors, vermillion and such; oh, and lively carousing. Ample firewood will be available to keep everyone warm and snug. A super Rondyvoo – Don’t miss it!

Cover page

Thanks once again to Charlie Timma for sharing his pencil portrait art with all readers.

George Mohr reports Camp Dubois is Number 1 stop on the Lewis and Clark Trail.

Camp Dubois was the staging area for the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804-1806. It was a fully functional military camp established across the Mississippi River from St Louis. It was winter quarters for 33 people, 29 of them expedition members, from 12^th December 1803 until 14^th May 1804, when the expedition left to explore the Louisiana Purchase. Lewis and Clark also used Camp Dubois again when they returned from the West on 23^rd September 1806.

Camp Dubois was located near the mouth of the Riviere du Bois (Wood River) on the east Bank of the Mississippi in United States territory. This was important because the west side was Spanish until it was ceded to France on 9^th March 1804 and then to the U.S. on 10^th March.

Preparations for the expedition were underway before Louisiana was purchased by the U.S. Thomas Jefferson was determined to press on with the expedition even if the purchase of Louisiana fell through. Lewis and Clark were preparing for what could have been a spying expedition on foreign territory.

The winter of 1803-04 was a busy one for the members of the expedition. The soldiers participated in training, maintained the camp, had inspections, marched, stood guard duty and hunted to supplement their rations. The keelboat was made ready and supplies were collected, inventoried and stored ready for the departure of the expedition in the spring of 1804.

Lewis and Clark used this time to gather as much information on Louisiana – its geography, people and conditions – as they could by talking to American, French and Spanish residents, traders and trappers. They also smoothed the way for the transfer of Louisiana by working closely with Spanish authorities in St Louis.

The State of Illinois has erected an excellent replica of the camp buildings and a fantastic visitor centre near the site of the original Camp Dubois. Nobody really knows exactly where the original site was located. The river has changed course and many floods have obliterated any building sites. Not a single artefact has been found to indicate the exact site.

Inside, the fort exhibits living quarters and a cabin; allbuildings are very well presented with basic furnishings along with stocks of foods, weapons and tools, trade goods and general expedition supplies. Costumed re-enactors are on hand to answer visitor’s questions. There is even a kitchen garden planted with the types of vegetables commonly available and grown in that era.

The Visitor Centre tells about life at Camp Dubois and preparations for the expedition. They have built a full sized replica of the keelboat, sectionalised to show how it was set up and packed for the voyage on the Missouri River.

A lot of money has been spent to do the place up properly to attract visitors and history buffs. It’s a fantastic place and #1 stop on the Lewis and Clark Trail.    George

See more Camp Dubois pictures from George in our May News gallery.

Duck Season

Paul reports moderate success for himself and Jeff on the duck opening weekend.

“A little quiet on the Saturday morning, I got only one Teal while Jeff’s bird is flying yet. We had better success on the river on Sunday when Jeff took a Teal and a Woodie while I managed two Woodies and one Teal. We were using breechloaders this year but have determined to revert to muzzleloaders in future.”    Le Reynard

Quail Season

More Hunting

Saturday the 5th of April was, significantly, the first day of the Victorian 2014 Stubble Quail season. I arose to a superb morning of clear skies and a nice southerly breeze. Encouraged, I slipped into my hunting clothes, hastily washed down some toast with hot coffee, and reached for “Old Reliable” – my muzzleloading side-by-side percussion shotgun. I carefully packed her into my Ute along with her usual bag of fixings, grabbed my game bag and set off to enjoy some bird huntin’.

A short drive later I arrived at a familiar hunting area that had proved productive over past seasons. Before loading “Old Reliable” I busted a couple of caps on each nipple to clear and dry out any residual oil. I then loaded measured charges of 70 grains of 3fg into each barrel. The powder was followed by an over powder wad, then 1 1/8 oz of number 8 shot (from an original measure) and then an over shot card on top of all. I placed a percussion cap on each cone and I set off to try and flush out those small and elusive birds.

Following recent rains in the area the prospects were looking good and there was ample grass cover. However after a half hour I had not heard that musical whirring of wings nor seen any small brown feathered streaks rocketing through the air. Ahead of me a pair of Teal lifted from the edge of small body of water and landed on the water. So with ideal cover between us, I proceeded to stalk them.

As I edged nearer I could hear the unmistakable “meow” of some Wood Ducks as yet unseen. When I was some 25 to 30 yards away I peered above the cover in front of me and there, on the edge of the water, was a mob of up to about ten Woodies.

I did not have long to take in this picture, for as soon as I had raised my head all of the birds lifted. Bringing “Old Reliable” quickly to the shoulder I picked out one of the Grey Teal in front of me, passed the front bead in front of it and dropped the hammer down on the little copper cap. Instantly smoke billowed from the muzzle blocking my vision momentarily, but I was rewarded by the evident sound of a duck splashing into the water.

But there was absolutely no time to dwell on that success. I quickly drew a bead on a Wood Duck that was trying to make a lot of air between us and brought the second barrel into play. Once again the flame from that little copper cap ignited the powder and the 1 1/8 oz of shot intercepted that Woody at exactly the right spot and it came tumbling down to splash in the water as well.

All this noise and smoke caused another small raft of ducks nearby to take to the air. Having quickly re-loaded the right barrel I watched a solitary Wood Duck circle out to my left and swing back in near to where I was crouching. As he came in closer the gun was presented and with a nice smooth swing past his beak more smoke and noise filled the air. At this time a gentle breeze cleared the smoke quickly and I could see that Woody falling motionless to the ground.

With the aid of the breeze pushing the ducks to the water’s edge I was able to retrieve the two birds. I then wandered over to where the third bird had fallen and put all three in the game bag. Not a bad start to the day, for a “quail shoot” I thought as I carried on walking. Another hour of hunting passed but not a single quail did I see.

I decided to head back to my Ute for a drink and a bit of a rest and to empty my game bag (three ducks can get a bit heavy after awhile). I reloaded and capped both barrels and after a break I decided to check out another spot. I could see some fresh grass and sedge growing because of the recent rains. Good cover I thought.

I had only gone a few metres amongst this fresh re-growth when from under my feet exploded a pair of Stubble Quail. Caught off guard momentarily I quickly gathered my senses and lifted ‘Old Reliable” to the shoulder and in one easy movement passed the muzzle in front of the right hand bird and let fly with the load of number 8 shot.

Due to the cloud of smoke in front of me, for the breeze had died down, I was not quite sure if I had a hit or miss. Then I noticed a small light brown lump doing a final flutter on the ground about 25 metres to my left. Success!!! I went over and picked up that plump bird and stowed it in my game bag.

After loading the right barrel with a fresh charge I recapped both nipples and continued hunting for quail with renewed vigour. When, after a further fifteen minutes or more, with no other birds flushed I headed back to the Ute. I cleared “Old Reliable” and packed all the other gear away, then bade a silent “thank you” to the hunting gods. On arriving home I cleaned the birds, took care of “Old Reliable” and still had time for lunch. A very pleasant morning’s sport!

Quail being so small, a single bird would never make a sufficient meal, but by adding some Grey Teal, rabbit, a pigeon and some herbs together they all make a wonderful mouth-watering game terrine. My kitchen rules!        Le Reynard   

Rendezvousing Easter to ANZAC.

We promoted it as a grand opportunity for an extended camp to test our measure at living in a past era. Unfortunately we had to compete with the many and varied interests and associated activities that had been planned for one, or the other, of these popular extended weekends. So the attendance numbers were down but the conviviality and good times were there by bucket loads.

Attending were Murray Convey, Tom Jefferies, Ian Convey, Chook Fowler, Paul Sly, Jim Walker, Peter Convey, Charlie Timma, John Morland, Bob Ellis and Matt McMurrich. Only Jim and Chook took full advantage on the opportunity to camp the complete ten days.  The ebb and flow of pilgrims arriving / departing caused fearsome confusion of the planned activities, but ample shooting fun was always on hand.

Ian brought along some new steel target gongs which we hope can remain in place at our designated shoot area. There are three of these gongs suspended on a single bar; the first is easily seen offering a reasonably simple scoring shot; the second requires a more careful aim and steady hand; while seeing that teensy-weensy third gong was just pure frustration for my tired old eyes. Anyway, Peter won the gong shoot.

Our long range buffalo target was fitted with a clanger bell that Ian had made up at home. This was attached after some scrub was cleared so that that buff head could actually be seen. I thought the range was about half a mile but Ian paced it roughly at 90 yards. So I misjudged a wee bit but a trifle more powder in future might be the go.

We made several forays for camp firewood and a special effort for our hosts as Bernard will be somewhat incapacitated for several months after his recent accident. Lots of firewood was cut, gathered and split – something to sing about. Well we had three musicians entertaining by various degrees with guitar notes, banjo plunking with occasional harmonica strands to be faintly heard and enjoyed.

Other news in brief: Our toilet houses received some bird proofing attention by Jim. The can push shoot was terrific fun as always. The cans were brightly painted in different colours to avoid confusion. There were only two teams – Yellow team and Blue team. Yellow team won but Blue had more fun, I think! Charlie managed to squeeze in lots of sighting and practise shots. Murray is back to making capotes. Jim’s kangaroo tail soup received a unanimous rating of “simply delicious” by the entire group. Ian’s singing needs a back-up group. Any back-up group! The ground around the base of the Hershel House shoot post was levelled to avert any O H & S issue. Judy did the damper, she substituting for Bernard’s left arm and collar bone. Charlie sets a fine dining table. Tom has the biggest Bowie. Bernard’s Cache has an abundance of firewood, it just needs picking up. Bob’s general health and well-being appeared vastly improved by lots of sleep at a well stoked camp-fire and good companionship. Black powder is king. And lastly, the weather over the 12 days was simply – well, in a word – salubrious.

Australian media: We are advised to not judge all Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics; conversely we are encouraged to judge all gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics.  An anomaly of advice and an unfortunate state of affairs, me thinks!

Hivernant – one who has wintered over in the high country for several years.

“The smoke I blow out the vent till there is no more, then with separate measure a charge of powder I pour, a patch and round ball go next down the bore, I shoulder the gun and shoot some more.”       Author unknown

A very happy New Year and all glad tidings to Club members and to the many friends and supporters we have met along the trail. Here in the deep south of the Great South Land we have just had a week of searing temperatures and devastating bushfires, and of course, all black powder doings are on hold until the coming of autumn (otherwise known as Fall for some of our readers).

Now it’s a full four years since we first received a holler from Brad Randall from the Hatchie Run club of Mississippi and I’ve yet to pass on their latest seasonal greetings and accompanying photos, so here we go. You’ll remember Brad kindly donated to us a beautiful hunting pouch, featured in our Sept 2010 newsletter.

As further thanks we pay compliment to Brad and wife Debbie featuring the above photo where all present are holding rifles hand-built by Brad. Now that’s some achievement considering Brad had spent 20 years in the army, followed by 22 years in auto sales and only recently “retired” to grand-parenting and gun building.

Apparently the grand-parenting bit also includes making clothing outfits for his grand-daughter, Caydence, and sharing camping and fun activities with the whole family. See our Gallery page for more photographs from Brad.

Anyone know the whereabouts of old Daniel Boone’s bones? Read our feature article from George Mohr who was there recently, paying homage to this man of great fame.

Daniel Boone of Missouri

Most all of you know the story of Daniel Boone’s early days. Life was pretty straightforward for a Longhunter – cross over the mountains, hunt the deer, avoid the Indians, haul the hides home on horses and sell them, kiss the wife, count the kids, get the supplies ready and do it all again.

There were many adventures in all this, some good and some tragic. Daniel led settlers into Kentucky, including his own relatives. He lost his sons, James and Israel, to Indians. Dan was captured by Shawnee and adopted by Chief Blackfish. He escaped to warn Boonesborough of a coming attack by Shawnee, helped defend the settlement and then was accused of betrayal by some of the settlers.

He successfully defended himself against the charges and was promoted within the militia. He was friends with men like George Rogers Clark and Simon Kenton. Just about everyone knows the story of Daniel Boone.

Daniel Boone did not hate civilization. He made money as a merchant and surveyor in Kentucky. He was elected to the Virginia General Assembly in 1781 and again in 1787.  In 1782 he was elected Sheriff of Fayette County. He ran a tavern and a trading post and was even an owner of seven slaves. He was prosperous by frontier and community standards of the time–and a celebrity of sorts.

Daniel encountered many financial problems. He was involved in various land claims and did surveying for other settlers, so he was a speculator of sorts. As more settlers arrived there were claims and counterclaims on land surveys. Many of these claims went to court and the decisions often went against Daniel. He felt duty bound to repay anyone who lost land and money on surveys he did or land he sold.

In 1780 he had collected $20,000 to file settlers’ land claims. On the way to Williamsburg he was robbed.  It took him several years to repay those settlers. He was an honest man. By 1799 he probably felt less than enthusiastic about life in Kentucky.

Daniel and much of his family moved to St Charles County in Missouri in 1799. The Spanish thought Daniel would be a great drawcard to get settlers into the region. They provided land grants and even made Daniel a syndic, essentially a judge over legal matters, as well as commandant of the Femme Osage district.

He served the Spanish well until the United States bought Louisiana in 1804.  He once again lost his land claims, but Congress restored them in 1814. Most of his lands were sold to pay his old Kentucky debts.

Daniel continued to hunt and trap in Missouri. He lived his last years with his children and grandchildren. It was said that Lewis and Clark saw him waving to them as they started up the Missouri in 1804. It is said he hunted as far north as the Yellowstone River and visited Fort Osage. Legend has it he hunted with John James Audubon in 1810, but the Boone family claim he never returned to Kentucky after 1799.

Daniel died of natural causes, on 26 Sept. 1820 at Nathan Boone’s home on Femme Osage Creek. He was 85, nearly 86. His last words were reported to be, “I’m going now. My time has come.” Daniel’s wife, Rebecca, had died in 1813.

Daniel was buried near her in the graveyard near Jemima Boone Calloway’s home on Tuque Creek.

Daniel had made his own coffin. Occasionally he would lie in the coffin and scare the grandchildren. He was buried in that coffin.

In 1845 Kentucky sent people to Missouri to dig up the remains of Daniel and Rebecca. While they got Rebecca’s remains, the story is that they didn’t get Daniel’s. Apparently there were many burials in the cemetery and Daniel’s and Rebecca’s graves weren’t marked. It’s possible the remains they thought were Daniel were actually those of a slave.

My sources indicate that when Daniel died and his grave was dug, they came across the remains of an earlier burial right next to Rebecca, so they buried Dan at an angle to Rebecca, not directly next to her and parallel. Missouri claims to still have Daniel’s remains while Frankfort, Kentucky, has the remains of Rebecca and a slave.

So, both Kentucky and Missouri lay claim to the remains of Daniel Boone.

Here is a photo I took of the grave-marker in Missouri. Missouri historians say that Daniel is still under the marker erected there. Rebecca is definitely in Kentucky. The fellow buried next to Rebecca in Kentucky is very likely a slave. The skeleton has been examined and appears taller than Daniel would have been. The skull has been examined by an expert who claims it is African American. So, who knows? Another history mystery!    George

Ten out of Ten

Here’s something exciting to strive for – Aim to get 10 plus 10 for your Rendezvous re-enacting this year, Firstly, due to Good Friday falling one week prior to ANZAC day this year, we have an opportunity, for many, to take two or three extra holidays midweek to maximise a 10 day extended rendezvous camp. Failing to obtain that extra leave, members could camp over Easter, leave tents and gear in safety (somebody will guard the stock) and then return on ANZAC day to complete the 10 day stint. Sounds ideal to me, so why not book your holidays early, like maybe now!

Secondly, in June this year, on the traditional Queen’s Birthday weekend, we celebrate 10 years of Winter Quarters encampment in the Caveat/Highlands hills. Much is planned to make this significant anniversary a never-to-be-forgotten experience in primitive rendezvous circles Down Under. 

Cannons – what a Blast!

Looking back on the past year of powder burning it strikes me that our cannon exhibition-shoot mentioned in Vol 45 was one of the more popular happenings, so why not do it again, soon?  Surely though, we can line up more than just two pieces next time. What about during our Easter/ANZAC rondyvoos?

Jenny Baker talks about that day last year: “Our small ship’s signal cannon was made by Ian Podgie Rogers, former Range Officer at Seymour Black Powder Club. It has a 30mm bore and has caplock ignition. This was the first time Gary and I had shot it, other than for blank firing, as we never had a suitable ball mould. We read on line about people using fishing sinker moulds, so off we went to our local camping & fishing store. We bought a size 10 round sinker mould which although a little small worked a treat when we used thick cloth patches cut from old Jeans material.”   Jenny

Lewis & Clark Swivel Cannon

http://lewis-clark.org/content/content-article.asp?ArticleID=2362 Jenny forwards this address to stimulate further interest in the use of cannon at our Club doings, you could say just a teaser, and I might confess to a long held crazy notion about swivel guns –Hollywood style. So, from the aforementioned Lewis and Clark website…..

The small swivel cannon was commonly used on ships and riverboats, as well as in forts, in 18th- and 19th-century America. Captain Clark had one installed on the bow of the keelboat. It would have been mounted on a yoke resembling an oarlock. With the foot of the yoke inserted in a hole on the ship’s rail, the wall of a fort, or a stanchion on the bow of the keelboat, the cannon could be swivelled right or left; up or down. Swivel cannons typically have a projecting piece at the back end with a cavity which accepts a dowel to be used as a tiller or handle for guiding the direction of firing without burning the gunner’s hands.

The journals do not mention the size of the swivel cannon on the keelboat, but typical swivels of the era would range from 18″ to 36″ in length, with a bore from one to two inches in diameter. The specimen illustrated here is 22″ overall length with a bore of 1-3/4.” This bore is quite suitable for accommodating the 16 musket balls Captain Lewis ordered to be loaded during the standoff with the Teton Sioux on September 25, 1804. Fortunately, it wasn’t necessary to fire it in anger that day, nor any other day during the entire expedition.

However, the swivel cannon is mentioned frequently in the journals for its usefulness as a signaling instrument. While the keelboat was proceeding upstream, the hunters would be on shore, sometimes a mile or more from the river in pursuit of fresh meat. At the end of the day a blank shot would be fired from the swivel to orient the hunters to the keelboat’s location.

It was also handy for other peaceful purposes, such as some sort of celebration. “Two shot were fired from this swivel, followed by a round of small arms, to welcome the New Year,” wrote Patrick Gass on January 1, 1805.

Being a heavy gun with severe recoil, the swivel gun was not suitable for use on the canoes. Lewis had the swivel gun buried in the cache made in June 1805 before the portage around the Great Falls. They recovered it on their way home in August of 1806, and soon were able to lighten their load somewhat. “As our swivel could no longer be serviceable to us as it could not be fired on board the largest perogue,” wrote Clark on the sixteenth, “we concluded to make a present of it to the Great Chief of the Menetaras (the One Eye) with a view to ingratiate him more Strongly in our favor. . . . After the council was over the gun was fired and Delivered.”

Oh yes, that confession! Well, I’ve always wanted a swivel gun! A need stimulated by my fantasy that a swivel, with a tiller (or hand grip) sort of becomes a handgun, eh? Perhaps the most powerful handgun in the world?  Go ahead, Punk, make my day!

Charlie Timma has kindly supplied a number of his individual pencil portraits of members for inclusion over the upcoming volumes. Copies of these were available to members at last camp, unfortunately the portrait subjects were not there in attendance. The good news is that they are still available for collection at next camp.

Upcoming Club Events

1. Labour Day w/e March 8, 9 &10.  This long weekend will always be a doubtful listing due to hot dry weather and possible fire restrictions, but it’s worth noting these dates as “possibles” in case of a cooler start to autumn. Do check with Committee members before setting off in case of late cancellation. 

2. Easter to ANZAC w/e April 18 – 27. This year we have a great opportunity for an extended camp lasting 10 full days. Or for the unlucky folk who must work between Easter and the ANZAC holiday there is a possible end on end two long weekends leaving camps set-up for the duration. 

3. Queen’s B’day w/e June 7, 8 & 9 (our 10^th Anniversary of Winter Quarters). 

4. Spring R’voo Sept 20 & 21 (The traditional Primitive w/e & start of Vic school hols).

Primitive Authenticity

Just prior to our Winter Quarters 2013 I forwarded an email to members regarding authenticity of gear. It included these comments from Mark Baker made in 1988…

Foodstuffs, both large and small, were kept in proper containers at all times, even the grease, butter and other hard-to-store items. Nothing needed to be covered, for nothing was out of place. It was truly a treat … to find so authentic a portrayal.”

“There have been other rendezvous, primitive treks or living history weekends I have attended, but I have never been to one where there wasn’t something out of place.  No sunglasses, no plastic egg cartons and no aluminium beverage cans were to be seen. Everyone was working hard to make Fort Loudoun a proper portrayal.”   Mark Baker writing for “Muzzle Blasts” magazine, January 1988.

Our challenge is to do just as well, so that accolades such as above might be said of all our camps, proving that we are serious about our living history Statement.

Newsletter writers have lots of good days and occasionally some of the other kind. One needs to be watchful for fear the latter turn into weeks or longer. Seems I got lost somewhere around the traps, or at least fearsome confused and simply unable to settle at the computer. Writer’s block someone called it. Then, losing my faithful little Jack Russell terrier through tumours in the spleen and kidneys really dampened my spirits.

George Mohr helped lift me out of my doldrums with mention that he and Kay had just returned from rendezvousing in the States. George kindly forwarded a couple of photos while his observations below helped to inspire me to knuckle down to this overdue edition.

From George :-

“The lead photo was taken at the Feast of the Hunter’s Moon in Indiana. The others were from the Eastern Primitive in Pennsylvania. We had a great time at both events. The Feast has been going for over 30 years. It is part festival, part rendezvous, part educational event on colonial and Indian arts, crafts, manner of living, music, etc…

It’s a huge event! They get over 40,000 people through on the weekend. There are lots of different foods, entertainments, highland games, lacrosse games with Indians vs. anyone. It is actually one of the top ten festivals in the United States.

The Eastern was set around a nice lake in western Pennsylvania, with camps all around the lake, 700-1000 participants. We went during the week when only rendezvous participants were there. As usual, the general public was allowed in for the first weekend. We were there from Monday to Thursday.

Surprisingly, the primitive archery was probably more popular than the black powder shooting. They had a great archery course set out through the woods, shooting at all sorts of lifelike animal targets. Lots of trade goods of all sorts, both big trader tents and trade blankets.

The fry bread was something else! It was sort of like a big fried donut with a choice of all kinds of different fillings, made fresh in about two minutes. Wonderful! And then there was Burrito Bob. When Bob cooked up a bunch of fresh burritos, he went around the camp beating on a frying pan to tell everyone the burritos were fresh and hot. It was a great experience.

The weather, especially at the Eastern, was about perfect. There was rain on Sunday at the Feast, but it cleared by lunchtime. We hauled raingear, and I even carried the gear in my snapsack one day, but never had to put the oilskins on. It doesn’t get much better than that. I’m glad we didn’t go to the Black Hills. Deadwood got four feet of snow in one storm. Regards to all.” George

Meanwhile, back home in the Victorian central highlands,

our September rendezvous was a relative modest and quiet celebration of all that a Rondyvoo should be. Black powder plinking fun or a time of serious shooting concentration, a chance to whoop it up in the evenings, a drop of fire water, a scattering of bulldust, some fine song and story-telling, followed by late evening deep and meaningful thinking whilst staring into the flames of radiant campfires.

Attending at this rondy were Michelle Barraclough, John Sultana, Jenny and Gary Baker, Murray and Peter Convey, Jim Walker, Robert and Kurt Powell, Cam Cowled, Tom Jefferies, Chook Fowler, John Morland, Ian Convey, Mark Pountney, Bob Ellis and Ron Davis. A total of just seventeen pilgrims attending in twelve primitive camps, and the authenticity levels of those camps was very good, only……….

Er, well, your Committee really stuffed up in regards to authenticity this time. A last minute decision was made to purchase three bottles of Rusty Gun port and three blocks of chocolate for prizes to competition winners. And whose idea was it? Yours truly, none other! Nice, but so wrong! See our picture gallery – you might notice our SCFT logo labels on the screw-top bottles. Yes, screw-top bottles! You might also notice the electric blue “modern packaging” of the chocolate blocks. We will do better.

Ramrods:

Wiping sticks, loading rods, ramrods, call them what you will, but a muzzleloader is useless without one of the correct size. A ramrod for a given firearm should be long enough to touch the face of the breech plug and have one inch, or a little more, sticking out of the muzzle; you might get away with one slightly shorter.

For maximum strength the ramrod should be as big in diameter as you can fit in the bore, but small enough to fit under the barrel without making the gun look like an under and over. . 40cal. and above should be at least 3/8” Dia. And up to ½”D in the larger usually smooth bores. The large rods in the old days were usually tapered with the small end going under the breech end of the stock; this is a very practical method of maintaining maximum strength with minimum bulk in the stock.

Of course these diameters are for wooden ramrods, metal rods (steel) can be considerably smaller “a la” military guns.

The best wood for wooden rods is split hickory, if you can get it, but to be practical, selected Tasmanian Oak or Mountain Ash dowelling is okay. Of course a steel rod either hollow or solid is a lot stronger. I have seen ramrods made from brass tube, hardened copper tube, even aluminium but these are not traditional for pre 1840 era.

There are also plastic ramrods available, no comment, and ones made of fibreglass which should be avoided at all cost as the fibreglass will file the crown off the muzzle and thus the accuracy of you gun quick smart.

Most wooden rods are usually tipped with brass sleeves from 1” to 2” long on each end but can and often were just left plain wood. Brass end sleeves can vary from plain to those that are threaded for cleaning and maintenance tools and often cross-drilled to take a T handle. The sleeve should be pinned to the rod and all exposed edges rounded off.

I select my wood ramrod stock from the local hardware store- Tas. Oak dowel and pick the length with the straightest grain then cut them to just over the correct length. I then place them in a piece of PVC pipe that has one end blanked off. This pipe is then filled with a 50/50 mixture of boiled linseed oil and kerosene. You have to wedge the rods in with a piece of scrap wood to stop the rods floating up.

The rods are left to soak for 3 months or more then I make a new ramrod by firstly wiping off all oil mix and then sanding down by hand to the diameter required and then cutting to the correct length and fitting sleeves if required.

It’s not a bad idea to have one or two blank rods soaking, as just described, because you will break a rod now and then and it doesn’t take so long to make a replacement. Rods soaked in the oil and kero mixture are more durable. WYTK Ian Convey

Tattler:

Tattler’s column was originally meant to indicate any anomalies to our code in a humorous, understandable, but nice way. So that we all benefit, learning by our mistakes with opportunity to correct those usually “non-period” items of apparel, utensils and such. Well, your committee and I really blew it at our September rendezvous. We haven’t tried to cover up though. See if you can spot areas where we went wrong by examining our gallery photos.

Charlie Timma has kindly supplied a selection of his pencil portraits of members for inclusion over the upcoming volumes. Copies were available (via Chook) to members at last camp.

Handy Hint:

Small calico bags with sewn on tapes for closure are mighty handy for hidden storage of bread or other items that you may wish to keep in the original but non period store-bought packaging against spoilage or to prevent contamination.

Home Brew:

There’s no doubt that quaffing yeasty home-brews can lead to some fascinating discoveries. Home Brewers talk seriously about their beer but one can’t deny their sense of humour. Clive and Veronica Brown have delved into the mysteries of chemistry, researched the wonders of home brewing, and now share this little “gem” of an article revealed in a Chemistry Journal of 1839, a copy of which might, or might not, have found its way across the wilderness to the Green River rendezvous.

“The Secret of the Fermentation Process: Beer yeast, when dispersed in water, breaks down into an infinite number of small spheres. If these spheres are transferred to an aqueous solution of sugar they develop into small animals. They are endowed with a sort of suction trunk with which they gulp up the sugar from the solution. Digestion is immediately and clearly recognisable because of the discharge of excrements. These animals evacuate ethyl alcohol from their bowels and carbon dioxide from their urinary organs.

Thus one can observe how a specifically lighter fluid is extruded from the anus and rises vertically whereas a stream of carbon dioxide is ejected at very short intervals from their enormously large genitals.”

“Still thirsty?” asks Veronica. You needed to know this chemistry secret, didn’t you?

Jim shares another “fix” for his 45 cal Trade Rifle

After my restoration of the 45 cal Trade rifle, as told in “Around the Traps, Vol 44” a problem developed with frizzen and spring. On squeezing the trigger the rifle would fire but the frizzen would not open fully. I sought some advice from club flint guru Ian Convey. On inspection he found that the trouble was in the slot where the frizzen pivoted and on the bearing point where the spring put pressure on the underside.

Now to dismantle frizzen and spring, and get to work with a small oilstone to get some clearance in the lock, also round off the bearing surface which had a small flat on the bottom where the spring touched. Working very slowly with much testing and trials with reassembly as the job progressed, finally I was satisfied with the outcome; then to a final test of trigger and frizzen – and success!

The results were much better and the lock gave stronger sparks, for the frizzen now flies fully open, letting the flint travel the full length of the face. Hopefully this will mean a longer life for the flint, as now it will not be driven into the face of the frizzen. Thanks to Ian for the info on how to do these adjustments Trapper Jim

Winter Quarters, Queen’s Birthday holiday weekend: The campsite was filling rapidly by Friday afternoon in anticipation of a first rate weekend with fine weather forecast for the next four days; and our Weather Bureau did not disappoint. By Saturday morning a dozen primitive style camps of white canvas filled the Painted Pony Plain at Bernard’s Cache.

Attending our Winter Quarters (in approximate order of arrival) were Peter Convey, Paul Sly, Ian Convey, Tom Jefferies, Chook Fowler, John Sultana, Michelle Barraclough, Bob Ellis, Charlie Timma, Mark Pountney, Rob Powell, Murray Convey, Gary & Jenny Baker, Cameron Cowled, Sven Wylie, and Justin Fletcher.

Jim Walker could not make it due to minor eye surgery and a resultant one week driving ban. The warm winter days were accompanied by chilled and frosty nights, so in the absence of Jim, Peter was elected chief fire-stoker and we all kept snug and comparatively smoke free in the open faced shelter. Tom took over Jim’s wood cutting role and ample supplies of good dry wood were soon piled high.

Bob Ellis had devised and constructed a very effective “Running Fox” target featuring a steel life-size fox that passed from left to right with a limited visual time span. Moving targets were quite new to many of us and proved an exciting challenge to all. A total of 60 shots from a dozen shooters in this five shot event saw the target well peppered with round ball dents. Most impressive were the shoulder grouping of Ian’s shots and one beautiful neck shot from Michelle. After three hits apiece, a shoot-off was necessary between Ian and Bob, with Ian taking final honours on pest destruction.

Card Shoot – eleven shooters took part; eleven playing cards were stapled face down to eleven stakes. The suite of hearts was used from Ace to the 10 spot plus the Joker. No one knew what value card they shot at until the end. Under the pretence that the idea was to shoot a good group everyone was surprised to learn that it was actually a “Luck Shoot” and that the shooter who flipped over the Joker would be riding with Lady Luck on this occasion. Mark Pountney won a powder horn that had been donated by John Maccioni and then very nicely titivated-up by Ian.

Knife and Hawk: The Hawk event seems to have a cult following status for some chuckers. The bruised handle cult, the broken handle cult and the obvious “those that practice-a-lot cult”.  But it’s all great fun. After five throws Bob, Mark and Peter were level pegging and the game got more serious. Peter was the eventual winner while Bob once again proved too good at the Knife throw just pipping Charlie this time.

Bernard and Judy visited for the evening entertainment and we all once again enjoyed Bernard’s speciality coal fired Damper with Judy’s home-made jams. Ian’s guitar playing and song repertoire continues to improve and grow – “he practises a lot!”

The Mud Bash Rovers from over the hill were unusually quiet this year but no one complained about that. Nothing wrong with quiet!

Sunday morning saw Paul out early for a last chance at ducks prior to season closure. A cannon demonstration had been promised for this morning. Just two cannon were brought along but they were received with total interest and attention to the loading and firing technique. Jenny’s signal cannon has a 1.18” bore and fires via an uncomplicated cord operated cap-lock.  The second cannon was a ¼ scale Cook cannon having a .75” bore and fired using standard safety fuse and linstock. A number of members took turns at loading and aiming and both cannon delivered surprising accuracy.

After lunch a Missouri Boat Ride shoot – a length of rope strung between two trees to be cut in two in the centre; a 3 shot event at 20 yards. Someone shoved Peter Convey to the head of the row of shooters, so Peter quipped “I’ll show y’all how it’s done” and cut that rope with his very first shot. After re-tying the rope everyone took turns for their three shots but to no avail. Even Peter couldn’t bust that string again and there was no carpet-bagger to spit upon to ease frustrations.

The next event was a team effort “Can Push” starting out at about 15 yards with water filled cans. Ian divided the teams into roughly even calibres, one big bore, one medium and one small bore for each team. On the left was Ian & Peter Convey and Mark Pountney; the centre team consisted of Tom Jefferies, Cameron Cowled and Jenny Baker; while on the right was Bob Ellis, Michelle Barraclough and Chook Fowler.  Rob Powell was calling the shots for the Lefties, Gary Baker was assisting Jenny loading, while John Sultana was speed loading for Michelle on the right.

There were many encouraging shouts as first one team then the next shot those cans further and further away. Oh, there was much laughter as one can spun onto its side and rolled backwards a few feet. Then great excitement as the 10 minute time-limit approached and the cans were seemingly in a neck and neck race. With just seconds to spare it was Chook’s last shot that caused that can to leap two feet ahead of all opposition for a resounding win. But everyone wins in terms of fun experienced on these easy and so simple to organise shoots. “Don’t ya wanna have fun no more?”

A Good Day in the Field

The sun slowly lifted over the treetops and its warm rays started to melt the heavy frost that was covering the ground and my kettles, axes and all the gear I’d left outside next to the fire pit. It was time to get out of bed, grab some coals from the communal fire pit and coax some wood to catch alight and get some hot coffee brewing.

With the warmth of the flames starting to drive the chill out of my bones, the toasting wire was put to use and the frying pan with some strips of bacon and an egg. Before long the sizzle and pop of bacon cooking, the smell of the coffee bubbling away and the toast browning nicely soon made me forget about the icy morning air, at least temporarily.

Having consumed a hearty breakfast it was time to slip on the hunting shirt, game bag, hunting pouch, powder horn and shot flask and stretch the legs for a mornings walk. The destination being a couple of farm dams nearby, to see if any ducks were on them; it was the last week-end of the Victorian duck season. I made a wide loop to approach the first dam and slowly raised my head above the earthen bank. Ahead on the opposite side of the dam were two wood ducks, a rather long shot for my flintlock smoothbore “Precious”.

It was not long before the ducks realized that my head was not part of the landscape and flew off. I shouldered “Precious”, put some lead on the male wood duck and squeezed off the shot. After the smoke had cleared the two ducks were still high-tailing it over the top of the trees and were showing no sign of turning back.

At the sound of that shot some movement caught my eye to the right and there on the next dam, close by, was a small mob of chestnut teal. They lifted into the air for a short distance and landed back in the middle of the dam. I crouched down, retraced my steps, and then dropped down into the gulley that was at the end of the dam. I quickly reloaded and quietly made my way up to the bank and looked over the top.

Due to the morning calm broken by that first shot these teal were on high alert. As soon as I showed my head over the bank they were up in the air. I picked out the closest bird to me and fired, soon after a satisfying splash was heard. But there was no time to dwell on that shot; with a hasty reload and the pan primed I was ready for the birds as they were coming past. I gave the front bird some extra lead and squeezed off the shot. Smoke belched from Precious and a second bird splashed into the water.

As I reloaded again, the ducks had started to look for safer waters and were out of range, but one decided to come back for one last look. It had caught me by surprise and the shot was a hasty one, but one pellet found its mark and broke the wing bone on the left side. With a “controlled” splash landing the duck was looking about with a bemused expression as if to ask why it had suddenly landed on the dam.

Quickly I threw down a measured amount of powder, the wads and shot into the barrel and with a quick check that all was safe on the other side of the dam I dispatched the wounded bird. Getting the ducks out of the water without going for a swim proved a challenge. With no strong breeze to push them across the surface it came down to throwing sticks. After a few (read many) good throws the birds were finally close enough to collect at the water’s edge and stow into the game bag.

With an extra spring in the step I returned to camp and field dressed two of the birds and put them in cool safe place and the younger looking bird I prepared it so I could have it for dinner that night with some butternut pumpkin, Brussels sprouts and potatoes. The meat was tender and certainly a satisfying meal to round off a good day in the field and to finish off the last hours of the duck season.
Le Reynard

Cannon and camp ovens

How often do we hear laments about how most household and workshop chattels are made in China these days? These regrets often carry a suggestion that such goods are of inferior quality. But it ain’t necessarily so! Just because the labour rates may be cheap does not automatically reflect on quality while it could be said that today’s black powder users and campers have reason to praise ancient Chinese technology.

For example, the discoveries of gun powder and of cast iron manufacture! Over time other countries have further developed and improved on the formulas but we at least owe some acknowledgement to the Chinese for the invention of black powder and for our camp (Dutch) ovens and other similar cast-iron cookware.

According to Wikipedia forging cast iron was first invented in China sometime between the 4^th and 6^th century BC. The molten metal was poured into moulds to make ploughshares and pots as well as weapons and pagodas. In the west, where it did not become available till the 14th century, its earliest uses included cannon and shot.

Henry V111 initiated the casting of cannon in England. Soon, English iron workers using blast furnaces developed the technique of producing cast iron cannons, which, while heavier than the prevailing bronze cannons, were much cheaper and enabled England to better arm her navy. As for camp ovens – many consider our 20^th C. Aussie made brands far superior to the Asian products and the very best available.

Having great fun

Had a phone call from Ian saying that he had some chores to do on his son-in-law’s farm so decided to combine work and pleasure. He took his flinter, powder, ball, pouch and possibles and after completing the farm chores he put up a target and had a really great time blazing away, making lots of smoke and noise. He was really enjoying the outing, until he walked up to check out his target. What the…. Aw, hell!

More practise needed!

Coming Events

Sat. 13^th July Ballarat Arms & Militaria Collectors Society Fair (“Gun Show”) The Free Trappers support this event each year through the Council of Muzzleloaders. We share a table with the Seymour Black Powder Club and the Western Districts Club to promote all things black powder. Tables at the hall are booked out, so this year promises to be a huge event for collectors and all firearm enthusiasts.

10^th / 11^th August – Beechworth’s Ned Kelly Festival. Tent display and dress 1880’s.  A chance to dress up and share the fun in historic Beechworth.

14^th / 15^th September – Spring R’voo – at Bernard’s Cache. A “traditional” pre 1840 Primitive weekend. (NB. The 15^th is the “traditional” 3^rd Sunday of the month.) This is the big one! Over the past few years many of us have extended this weekend taking in the Friday before and the following Monday just to extend the good times. Book those extra days and just be there.

What the heck is that 1950’s era wooden kitchen chair come rough-bush-rocker and a Blue Gum post doing in a corner of the paddock of Bernard’s Cache? Well, you have to see Hershel House shoot split-the-ball in his DVD “Building a Kentucky Rifle” to see what we are on about. Our Blue Gum post substitutes for a cabin veranda post and our rocker is – a – well, it’s a, er, rough-n-ready make-shift rocker and perhaps not as comfy as the one on Hershel’s front porch.

It’s a standard split-the-ball shoot where the target is the edge of an axe blade with a clay target fixed either side. A round ball hitting true on the axe edge will split into two breaking the clay on either side. Our variation is taken from Hershel’s DVD where he sits in a rocking chair and balances the rifle on his toes against the post. And as Hershel does in the DVD, our successful shooter must say “Wanna see it again” with a cool laconic chuckle, like he can do it first time, every time – piece of cake!

Damn, this gets hard as tired old bones fail to get those knees up high so that the toes can really steady the muzzle for a rock solid shot. Our photo by Ian Convey shows Le Reynard’s style as he has just won the event. Congratulations to Paul, nice shooting!

Easter is such a marvellous time for rendezvousing and once again we had delightful weather. We had just sufficient prior rainfall to green the grass enough to allow for contained cooking fires and the evening main cabin blaze.

Attendance was slightly down – only fourteen pilgrims plus four children. The kids, of course, had a ball, as kids do – feeding sticks into the fires, shooting toy bows and arrows and doing rather well at that, and of course on Sunday morning there was an Easter egg hunt and lots of semi-hidden chocolate goodies discovered and devoured.

The shooting comps interfered somewhat with our otherwise relaxed atmosphere, but there weren’t really any complaints about that. After the Hershel House shoot we had spinning clay discs-on-a-string; and damned difficult to hit they turned out to be. Paul had good success at these, just pipping Jeff in a deciding shoot-off at a longer distance.

This was followed up with a Mike Fink shoot at about 25 yards with lots of mugs of “booze” being dispatched. It came down to a shoot-off back at 35 yards between Le Reynard and Griz once again. Jeff was ultimately the winner, by default, when Le Reynard shot the balloon head right between the eyes.

The final shoot was a cut-the-stake team event with three teams, two of three and one of four shooters. The wooden planks put up a good resistance and some team members reported firing up to 30 rounds before the triple-J/M team of Jenny, Jim, Grub Box John and Murray broke through in resounding style, the final shot actually made by Jim shooting a minuscule .32 cal ball from Jenny’s little flinter. Many felt this cut-the-stake shoot was the highlight of all these fun events.

Trade blankets held some really good craft goodies but sales were reported as slow, perhaps due to the relatively small attendance. Evening entertainment consisted of lots of good conversation, adequate lubrication, and some fine guitar playing and singing by Ian, duets from Jeff and Katherine, dulcimer tunes from Jenny and one of Bernard’s traditional dampers smothered with Judy’s home-made jams. Yum!

The new South Pass route through the Rocky outcrops avoids the boggy sections of the lower segment and will be a great boon come Winter Quarters weekend. Our thanks again to Bernard and Judy for our continuing welcome.

Dogs: Bernard has stipulated that pets are not to be brought to the farm.

The next two stories are contributed by Michelle Barraclough and should have been included in Vol 43 however it seems they got lost in the National Broadband Network.

The Day the Austin 7’s visited for a Picnic at Caveat

March 10th 2013: The day dawned HOT again, we all arose prepared breakfast and proceeded to remove any modern wares. Once we were back in the early 19th century we eagerly awaited the arrival of the cars. The first one arrived early and we all flocked to marvel at its beauty. Then several more arrived and slowly throughout the morning, and into the afternoon, but there were still one missing and then finally “the Jeep” (yes, Bob did buy a Jeep) arrived towing a poor little Austin Ute behind it. Finally all was in readiness for our picnic luncheon.

Venison sausages and onions were grilled on the BBQ, bread, sauce and some yummy homemade chutney ready to be added to individual taste. (We simply weren’t to know that the A7 folks had been treated to a variety of sausages all weekend.)

After lunch the games began, there was the boot throwing & rolling pin throwing. Then there was the hawk & knife throwing. Unfortunately the only shooting we could manage was with a bow and arrow due to the fire conditions of the day. However I think a very good time was had by all of the Austin 7 Club visitors as well as the members of the Southern Cross Free Trappers who attended. Sadly then it was time to wave bye to the little Chitty Chitty Bang Bangs as they made their way back to their motel accommodation at Rusty Springs, Avenel. Michelle

Put your foot on that or it will kick you in the balls:

Sunday Night, A very warm night, the clamour of the Austin 7’s had faded into the distance, Dinner had been cooked and eaten and darkness had fallen.

Whilst we looked on from a distance the men gathered for their ritual, there were four men in a circle, lit only by the lantern placed in the centre of the circle. Slowly they went about their ritual whilst we all watched on in hushed silence. They moved and swayed in line with the orders being given by the master of the circle, slowly completing their ritual tasks at his bidding.

All appeared to be going as to the rules set by the master until a loud voice broke through the night; the master of ceremonies screamed to one of the men “Put your foot on it or it will kick you in the balls.”

We all sat there in stunned silence waiting for the next part of the ritual, watching waiting for more shouts, the retorts, any sound to come. However no sound came, the time ticked by slowly, seconds seemed like minutes.

Then suddenly it was all over, the ritual had been completed. All the men retired to begin the next ritual, drinking, eating chocolate and nuts and talking long into the night. Michelle

(For the uninitiated, it should be stated that Michelle is describing the take-down of Bob’s mighty 22 foot tipi. Careful handling when lowering the lengthy poles and a firm foot at the base thereof is required to prevent accidental “tripod” damage. Ed.)

Upcoming Events

June 8th, 9th, & Mon 10th Queen’s B’day – Winter Quarters – Bernard’s Cache.

Spring R’voo – W’end of 3rd Sunday i.e. Sat 14th – Sun 15th Monday 16th September at Bernard’s Cache. (Note Sept 2013 has 5 Sundays again)

Adjusting Trigger Pull

Many replica muzzleloaders (as supplied) come with rather a heavy trigger pull which does nothing to enhance accuracy due to the excessive pressure pull or tug required on the trigger. Such a gun is never as much fun to shoot as it should be.

Many shooters seem to put up with this situation while others leave the sport believing they cannot shoot when really it is the gun at fault. You don’t have to put up with this strong action because it is often not difficult to correct the problem without having to stone sears or tumblers on the lock or trigger. All that is required is the simple soft soldering of a metal shim onto the tumbler.

To start, remove the lock from the gun and strip the lock. A word of caution here – always use a spring vice to remove the mainspring as anything else will likely eventually result in a broken spring. So buy a spring vice – many Buckskinners keep one in their possibles at all times.

When dismantling the tumbler from the lock, be very careful that you don’t lose the “fly”. Put the fly in a container with a lid or the little bugger will go walk-about and is so easily lost, never to be found on any regular workshop floor. Now take the tumbler and polish (do not grind) the curved flat face behind the full cock notch. Then, tin this area with soft solder – use a soldering iron not a torch.

Next, cut a small shim to fit the curved surface thus tinned. A slither cut from an ordinary tin-can usually makes a good shim. Now solder the shim onto the tumbler, file off any excess solder and shim and reassemble the lock. Don’t forget the fly!

Refit the lock to the gun and test the trigger pull. It should now be a lot easier to release, but if not, you may need a thicker shim, or if it’s still bloody awful, a gunsmith may be required to adjust the lock by stoning the parts. Don’t try stoning it yourself as it is a tricky job to keep the lock geometry correct and there is danger of removing the hard facing.

A simple single shim made from tin-can is usually enough to lighten the trigger to an acceptable pull without causing a safety problem, however it is prudent to have any home gun-smithing thoroughly checked for complete safety.

Watch yer topknot Ian Convey

A restoration project

Jim acquired a rather sad looking flinter at a gun show earlier this year – here’s his story how he dressed it up. “I reckon it was built approx 50 years ago and had never been fired. The outside of the barrel was covered with surface rust and with some light pitting. The stock had been painted with brown varnish and the trigger pull was very heavy at, I guess, about 10 lbs. By contrast, the bore and rifling was very clean.

Following an initial try-out shooting session, I made the decision to do a complete restoration job. First, was to completely dismantle all parts from the stock then scrape off all of the old varnish. After much scraping, sanding, and rubbing down, linseed oil was applied every time I walked past, til it fairly glowed. The next task was to redress the barrel! The remains of the old blueing and all the rust was removed by draw filing and rubbing with 200 and 400 grit emery paper, until no signs of rust or the original blue remained and the outside was truly shining.

The next job was to degrease the outside with Bon-Ami on a damp cloth before commencing to brown the barrel. I blocked the muzzle and touch hole then, using rubber gloves, applied a browning solution which I purchased from Green River Rifle Works. This was done using a soft cloth and was repeated every morning and night for four days until the desired depth of colour was reached.

I then rubbed down the outside of the barrel with laundry detergent made into a paste with water. For this I used a piece of coarse denim cloth. Wash the outside of the barrel with cold water then pour two litres of boiling water over the barrel and when finally dry, oil copiously.

To lighten the trigger I soldered a shim on the underside of the tumbler notch, just as Ian has described elsewhere in this newsletter. Unskilled persons are advised to seek the professional help of a competent gunsmith to complete this task. Finally the rifle was re-assembled and thoroughly tested with most satisfactory results.” Trapper Jim

The Age of Gunpowder, all era event at Barwon Park held 4th/5th May

Having arrived at the Barwon Park site early morning it was certainly something different to see a Stuart tank and Willy’s jeeps driving around and people carrying MG 42 machine guns, semi auto and bolt action rifles and sub machine guns instead of flintlock rifles and fowlers.

I was allocated a spot to set up my little camp site that was beside the Napoleonic re-enactors. It did not take me long as I only brought along the canvas lean-to, oil cloth, blanket and bed roll and the tripod to hang the small tin kettle on. With all this I would hopefully convey the image of an 18th century Trapper/Longhunter camp.

At ten o’clock the gates were opened to the public and a steady stream of people throughout the day came and to look at all of the sites, and to watch the battle displays that were held out in front of the Barwon Park mansion. Later on Lisa, Nathaniel and Nicholas arrived and the boys really liked all of the old army trucks, machine guns and especially the tank.

The WWI and WWII guys put on quite a show with the pyrotechnics and the Stuart tank driving about. The Napoleonic crew showed the public how it was done in the old style and just what a difference the evolution of gun powder and firearms has been. I had quite a few people come up and ask me what period I was from and who I portrayed.

Saturday night was the combined BBQ for everyone. It was amusing to see a 18th century Longhunter standing behind an American GI. With a plate full of meat and salad people either sat on the Mansion’s veranda or went back to their respective camp sites and made merry during the evening, aided by a few beers and some wine.

Later on in the evening I went back to the motel in Winchelsea, only 3 km’s away, with Lisa and the boys. In the morning a cooked breakfast was put on for everyone and was cooked by volunteers from the participating groups. Also on the Sunday I was “conscripted” into the French army to bolster their numbers as a few of their members could only make it for the Saturday. Certainly a bit of fun for the day and at one stage I could not touch the barrel of “Precious” because it was too hot, but despite the odds, ‘we’ the French, won the skirmish.

The day before it was the British who won the day. But all good things come to an end and it was time to pack all the gear away, say good- byes and thank you to everyone and head for home. All in all I enjoyed myself, the setting was good especially with the old blue stone mansion nearby, the other re-enactors were good company and seeing how the modern military groups show what they can do was great to see. We would certainly go again in two years time, if it does not clash with another event that occurs in Belgium – the 200th anniversary of Waterloo. But I would bring along the butane gas burner so a warm cuppa could be had. Le Reynard

More notes from Jim “Sloe Bear” Douglass on the Cache Valley Rendezvous site:

I have been doing some additional study on the site of the “Cache Valley Rendezvous” while going over the Journal of Peter Skene Ogden 1824-25. On May 3 that year he added this statement to his diary.

“Raised camp and took an eastern course leaving the river on our right. More Black Feet seen. Encamped on a small river well lined with willows, after making about 10 miles east. This stream is large and comes from the N.E. direction and steering S.W. course to the Bear River. Grey left behind making a skin Canoe, in which he is to come down to the main Branche. In the afternoon 7 Snake Indians paid us a visit, they were very shy at first but soon got acquainted with us.

They were well mounted and wore war garments. (They said 25 Americans had wintered on this river the last winter and made many skins, but left them en Cache in the Mountains).” This area was identified by Ogden’s chief clerk, William Kittson, in his journals, for it definitely locates (for the first time) the camp of John Weber’s party of Rocky Mountain trappers known to have been in Cache Valley that winter.

Guesswork had placed the encampment in many different locations; however from this description it was probably from this American camp near “Franklin Idaho” that Jim Bridger made his famous “bull boat” voyage down the Bear River to discover the Great Salt Lake. This was in the fall of 1824. This would have indeed placed the known position of the Rendezvous on familiar grounds in the Northern part of the valley.

Ogden describes the Bear River as milky white and running thick, this is recognisable, only the advent of modern dams has the river cleared up. Even now the run off produces a very muddy watered river.

Ogden proceeded down the Cache Valley for the next fifteen days trapping and camping on the east side of the Bear River next to fresh running rivers that flow into the Bear River. His schedule was kept in his journal and would put them camped in Franklin area May 2nd 1825, Richmond Cherry creek May 3-4.

This area is less than 4 miles from Franklin and is probably the location of the 1826 rendezvous, then to Smithfield area May 8, Logan May 9-10, Hy Rum area May 11-12, Paradise May 13-14, May 15 Liberty, May 20-21 Huntsville, May 22-24 Mt. Green on the Weber river.

I guess that we all have our own opinion of the exact location of any of these camps; however with extensive knowledge of this valley and its rivers and streams, my opinion remains the same about the Rendezvous site. After one hundred and eighty-seven or so years the proof is still only one guess. Jim “Sloe Bear” Douglass

Historic Hand-Painted Targets

The Encyclopaedia Britannica suggests that shooting at a mark as a test of skill began with archery, long before the advent of firearms. It is not known when target shooting with firearms began, but the earliest recorded shooting match is one held in Eichstäat, Bavaria, in 1477; the shooters, probably using matchlocks, competed at 200 yards.

A Swiss painting from 1504 shows a rifle shooting setup that is quite modern. Contestants fire from enclosed and covered shooting booths at targets in the background. The judges and scorekeepers sit at a table under a roof. Several wind flags are flying, and spectators are shown.

Some German museums have painted wooden targets dating to 1540 that were made for weddings and were shot at by the guests and then given to the host as a memento. By the 16th century target shooting with rifled arms was a popular pastime in much of Europe, especially in the Germanic countries. Elaborately decorated German wheel locks, presumably intended for target shooting, with rifled bores and quite sophisticated peep or aperture rear sights, appeared late in the 16th century.

In his book “A History of Shooting” Jaroslav Lars tells us that it was during the last quarter of the 18th century, that painted targets became popular. These were mainly the work of local artists and painted with oil paints on wood or on cloth. As works of art they were of no special value, but as historic documents, surviving specimens are very valuable. Unfortunately many have been destroyed by ignorance or during wars. Most of the targets that had been collected in Prague were burned by the French army during the occupation of Prague in 1743.

In the 19th century two main types of painted targets developed – “festive” and “amusing”. Those of the former category were to commemorate some person or event, such as military leaders, weddings and anniversaries, political events, victorious battles or the like. Painted targets are valuable to the historian because they depict many aspects of town life, events and local landscapes of the period. Among the favourite subjects were alpine scenes, pub scenes, girls, hunters and hunting scenes, lovers, mermaids, farmers and portraits of notable persons.

Targets designed for amusement or as jokes were far more numerous. They represent in picture and verse (often containing limericks) jokes shared among or played on friends, often political caricatures or dignitaries and of course the usual husband / wife banter. One did not always aim into the middle of these targets, but sometimes at other points as determined and marked by the owner or designer of the target.

Competition organisers were required to ensure that no obscene or disgusting pictures should appear on targets. But in spite of this regulation, such pictures – especially nudes – were often painted on amusing targets. Women, usually wives of shooters, were painted on some grotesque targets.

In Bohemia a special rifle-shooting match for the wives of shooters took place on 15th September, 1789. To commemorate this event a special target was made: To the right of the picture are men sitting and drinking coffee, to the left their wives are occupied with loading and cleaning rifles. Under the picture is the following motto: “You men come and make your rifles clean, otherwise they’ll get rusty and mean.”

“Luck” targets first became fashionable in the 16th century and were designed so that the bull’s-eye was the least valued, so that the less-talented shooter could also win a prize. These were more likely to consist of scoring rings rather than painted pictures and so fall outside the scope of this brief.

The Free Trapper group have attempted several Painted Target events where one shot only is fired by each contestant; the bull’s-eye being an off-centre red painted heart. The last such event was to commemorate 5 years of our incorporation. The target was painted by Ian Convey and was won by Murray Convey. (See Vol 25, July 2010) We plan to have another painted target shoot to celebrate our 10th year in 2014.

Source:

1. Encyclopaedia Britannica; http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/541546/shooting;

2. A History of Shooting by Jaroslav Lars, 1968.