When we think about the old west the first person that usually comes to mind is the cowboy but there was another rough tough loner that hated towns as much as the puncher did. You might say that the mountain man was the grandfather of the cowboy, generationally speaking that is. In the 1820’s ‘30’s and early ‘40’s the mountain man roamed the west.
The mountain man was a rare breed indeed. They had to be every bit as brave as Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan and Marco Polo. They had no idea what to expect once they got past the flat lands of Kansas and western Colorado. From the southwestern Rockies of New Mexico and Arizona all the way to Canada’s Kodiak and Yukon country they had to deal with Indians, blizzards, possible starvation, animal attack not to mention just falling off your horse or off a mountain side.
The mountain man may never have reached the iconic status that the cowboy did but they have never died out. Even today there are organizations such as the Texas Association of Buckskinners which are dedicated to keeping the mountain man alive. They gather on weekends and dress up in period clothes and stay in teepees, Baker tents, lean-two’s or just sleep under the stars. They still have the traditional competitions with rifle, knife and tomahawk.
These “buckskinners” took pride in making many of their own clothes and equipment. For example my dad made a full set of buckskin clothes that Davy Crockett would have been proud of. He also made his own knives, tomahawks and fire iron sets (racks to cook over campfires). I cant stress enough how influential these times were when I was a boy. Those days sparked my interest in history and the old west.
“This is a song for the mountain man, free trappers for beaver hide. They lived the freest a man can live in the Rocky Mountain skies…………From plains and mountains to trade their furs, and shine at the rendezvous.”- Bill Ramsel “Song for the Mountain Man”
God and Texas,
Jason Watson
Most of them would jump off from around Missouri and start heading west. Once they hit the Rockies it was straight up from there. Some men went there to help map out and open trails to California, Oregon and the west coast. Others came to trap beaver to sell so fancy dudes back east could wear their top hats. Some of them just went because they answered to no man and they just wanted to see what was on the other side.
The mountain man was a rare breed indeed. They had to be every bit as brave as Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan and Marco Polo. They had no idea what to expect once they got past the flat lands of Kansas and western Colorado. From the southwestern Rockies of New Mexico and Arizona all the way to Canada’s Kodiak and Yukon country they had to deal with Indians, blizzards, possible starvation, animal attack not to mention just falling off your horse or off a mountain side. Once they got to the mountains they began to do their work, be it mapping, trapping, or just living the free life. Once every year or so they would have what was called a rendezvous, which is exactly what the word means, a gathering. The men would come in from the mountains to sell their beaver pelts, swap with traders and local Indians and get drunker than Cooder Brown! The rendezvous was also a place to catch up on all the latest news especially the falling price of beaver!
The cowboy has his rodeo to show off his skill and compete against his fellow waddies. The mountain men had their own competitions too. When they came to rendezvous they would have tomahawk competitions, knife throwing contests and rifle and pistol competitions. These were just a few of the events, they would also have different games and races from horseback. Just like the cowboys years later, the mountain men just had to show off who was the best.
The mountain man may never have reached the iconic status that the cowboy did but they have never died out. Even today there are organizations such as the Texas Association of Buckskinners which are dedicated to keeping the mountain man alive. They gather on weekends and dress up in period clothes and stay in teepees, Baker tents, lean-two’s or just sleep under the stars. They still have the traditional competitions with rifle, knife and tomahawk.Although they are family oriented events they have been know to get a little wild after the sun went down. Once the kids are asleep in the lodges and they pull a cork on a jug; the good times really start to fly.
This is one event that I can talk about with some knowledge. My dad was a “buckskinner” as they are known. We went to many rendezvous when my brothers and I were young. We went all over Texas and even made it to the Southwestern National in Colorado back in 1984. For a kid it was a heck of an experience. It was almost like a time machine. I was getting to live among Indians and mountain men, even if it was just for 48 hours.
These “buckskinners” took pride in making many of their own clothes and equipment. For example my dad made a full set of buckskin clothes that Davy Crockett would have been proud of. He also made his own knives, tomahawks and fire iron sets (racks to cook over campfires). I cant stress enough how influential these times were when I was a boy. Those days sparked my interest in history and the old west.I want to leave you all with this quote from my friend, mentor and fellow bucksinner Mr. Bill Ramsel.
“This is a song for the mountain man, free trappers for beaver hide. They lived the freest a man can live in the Rocky Mountain skies…………From plains and mountains to trade their furs, and shine at the rendezvous.”- Bill Ramsel “Song for the Mountain Man”
God and Texas,
Jason Watson
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