From: owner-hist_text-digest@lists.xmission.com (hist_text-digest) To: hist_text-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: hist_text-digest V1 #374 Reply-To: hist_text Sender: owner-hist_text-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-hist_text-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk hist_text-digest Thursday, September 23 1999 Volume 01 : Number 374 In this issue: -       Re: MtMan-List: Question -       Re: MtMan-List: bacon? -       MtMan-List: bacon? what is right? -       Re: MtMan-List: Way off the list...... -       MtMan-List: camp goods -       Re: MtMan-List: bacon? -       MtMan-List: BCW Blankets -       Re: MtMan-List: Question -       MtMan-List: Capitulation -       Re: MtMan-List: Capitulation -       MtMan-List: Re: hist_text-digest V1 #371 -       Re: MtMan-List: Capitulation -       Re: MtMan-List: Capitulation -       Re: MtMan-List: bacon? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 22 Sep 1999 05:03:02 -0700 From: turtle@uswestmail.net Subject: Re: MtMan-List: Question On Tue, 21 September 1999, Phyllis and Don Keas wrote: > > Ok folks, here is one. > I was reading about Charles Autobees. He worked out of Ft. Hall and > bought several items from them that are listed in the company accounts. One > item that acaoght my eye was: "a lined blanket"............... - ---------------------------------------- According to the PA Dutch, Amish and "Common" people a "lined Blanket" is just that. A blanket covered with another blanket, not a "dirt cover", double blanket thickness usually held together with yarn ties spaced 4-6" apart. Ones sewn together can be considered "common" quilts, with different patterns and designs you see the "period" quilt. Buck's out of town and I'm sure he would be answering this one, as he carries a "lined" blanket with his bedding, has done this for at least 25 years or longer. I have used it on occassion in wet weather for extra insulation from damp ground with a bad back. Take care - we leave as friends, Lee "Turtle" Boyer Historical Advisor - Parks & Rec. State College, Pennsylvania ___________________________ Signup for your free USWEST.mail Email account http://www.uswestmail.net ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 22 Sep 1999 07:38:07 -0500 From: "Ratcliff" Subject: Re: MtMan-List: bacon? Good points. Many duck eggs have a pale green shell and the shells are = twice as tough as chicken eggs. They taste better and the whites are = whiter than chicken eggs. You would be surprised at how many people = raise ducks and they can be a good source of a correct food. There are = many accounts of trappers robbing duck nests and feasting on eggs. = Even if cured bacon is too hard to find, many meat markets carry or will = gladly get unsliced slab bacon. You are right, leave the sliced bacon = at home. YMOS Lanney Ratcliff - ----- Original Message -----=20 From: To: Sent: Wednesday, September 22, 1999 6:55 AM Subject: Re: MtMan-List: bacon? > On Tue, 21 September 1999, Sabella wrote: >=20 > >=20 > > hi all, new to the list but not buckskinning... 29 yr. veteran. > > on this subject of bacon. > >=20 > > My BF's family came to florida in 1828. I have read the accounts = and lists of victuals they carried... salt cured bacon, in large = quantity is among what the menfolk brought............. > -------------------------------------------- > I think what several are referring to is at events today, sure salted = bacon was available in the 1700's etc. That's slab salted bacon (like = small hams, chuncks of meat), and that's not what you are seeing as a = large view that's showing up at period camps. >=20 > The regular sliced bacon is what is seen in most camps, only a few = have slab bacon and fewer are heavy salted. When checking camps for = correctness (contests, etc.), look in the trash at the plastic wraps = from sliced bacon. If your going to do it right why not bring it into = camp "right"???=20 >=20 > Another thing is seeing many with regular eggs, must be a bunch of = wild birds around laying "white" eggs. The turkey eggs we had on the = farm where not white, they where light brown or tan in color, as are = wild turkey eggs found when hunting (tan to a dirty mellow yellow). >=20 > Much of this is just common sense, do some reading. The more research = you do on edibles the more items one will find, hell look at Clark & = Sons Mercantile, Buck did the research and made a business out of it = telling and supplying us with what is right, and for what area, and = period. It's all research friends, research, research and more research. >=20 > Take care - we leave as friends, > Lee "Turtle" Boyer > Historical Advisor - Parks & Rec. > State College, Pennsylvania > ___________________________ > Signup for your free USWEST.mail Email account = http://www.uswestmail.net >=20 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 22 Sep 1999 07:31:45 -0600 From: Bill Klesinger Subject: MtMan-List: bacon? what is right? If we are to discuss what is right for a RM rendezvous, then we need to actually only take what was available. and that was what was on the trade lists and what was killed or gathered. Now the mountaineers where not gathers, (their wives yes) so what is left. Coffee tea, flower, corn meal, raisins, whisky, sugar. their was no bacon, salted or other, or eggs, (the wild birds had already laid & hatched) There was meat, MEAT, and meat, with some jerk. what else? there was no camp chairs, cooking box's, silver ware, tables, (covered coolers) (beer). for the mountaineers. Now the trader (singular) may have had a few luxuries. but the regular men and indians had what they came to camp with and what he sold them. That was not much. mostly, powder, lead, trade items, and whisky. so if you are to do it right throw out 1/2 your junk, put together a camp that can be be loaded on a horse /mule or two. and have fun. so lets do it right, drink whisky, fight, and go in for open fornication. this is how a lot of the men carried on. (not all). I am not stating that no bacon ever made it to the mountains, or other special foods, but it was the exception not the rule. at our modern camps we tend to live by the exception, it could have happened ! so I can get by with it. see you at the next mountain carnival (rendezvous) Bill ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 22 Sep 1999 08:41:21 -0500 From: "Henry B. Crawford" Subject: Re: MtMan-List: Way off the list...... >Date: Mon, 20 Sep 1999 06:14:53 -0000 >From: "Paul Jones" >Subject: Re: MtMan-List: Way off the list...... > >Thanks Linda, but who and where are the Brewers? > A National League (formerly American League) professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Hey, he asked for it!!) A little humor doesn't hurt. It's not all brain surgery. :-) Cheers with a smile. HBC **************************************** Henry B. Crawford Box 43191 Curator of History Museum of Texas Tech University mxhbc@ttacs.ttu.edu Lubbock, TX 79409-3191 806/742-2442 FAX 742-1136 Website: http://www.ttu.edu/~museum ****** Living History . . . Because It's There ****** ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 22 Sep 1999 08:06:51 -0700 (PDT) From: Ronald Schrotter Subject: MtMan-List: camp goods Years ago our brigade decided that if it wouldn't fit on a horse, we were packing too much. I have to agree that most camps were not real luxurious, but it is possible to carry enough to make it as least comfortable. Many items can serve double duty, such as real blankets under the saddle instead of pads, large tin cups can be used as cookware, and a bedroll can consist of a shelter half as well as blankets. As you get more experience you learn what you can do without and what you really NEED to survive and still enjoy rendezvous. On the other hand, it sure is nice to hit a well provisioned camp after several days in the saddle, and a breakfast or dinner invite is awfully welcome. Dog, GHB __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 22 Sep 1999 10:40:16 -0500 From: Glenn Darilek Subject: Re: MtMan-List: bacon? If we want to strictly reenact a mountaineer rendezvous, we would have food that can be documented as having been at one of the actual rendezvous. We can go one step further in using food that would be appropriate for our particular personna. Of course, we can assume wild game and fish, of any type found in the area of the rendezvous would qualify, particularly buffalo, deer, elk, beaver tail, and trout. I did an informal research a few years ago using published sources to document what food was at the original rendezvous. I posted this some time ago, but I think it is relevant to the topic. There are some surprises: If you have the stomach, there are boudins (roasted buffalo intestine with partially digested grass inside), and boiled puppy! Rice pudding - cooked without eggs and with little sugar by Sarah Smith and others. Ms. Smith also cooked biscuit pudding and meat pies with crust in a tin baker. She also had wild currants. Mince pies - cooked by Mrs. Gray. Mince pie has meat and fruit minced for a hearty filling. They made mince from fat cow, deer meat, elk, and bighorn. Doughnuts - fried in the alien fats of bear or buffalo were cooked by the missionaries' wives. "Doughty cakes" were brought to America by Dutch and English settlers. Originally balls or "nuts" of yeast dough, the Yankees found the quicker way. Fried Cakes - Ms. Gray also made fried cakes. These were probably pancakes, because we know they took pancake turners. Mary Walker cooked pudding, pies, and greens. Captain William Drummond Stuart brought: tins of preserved meat, bottles of pickles, brandy, porter, fine wines, hams, a box of sardines, and used wild mint for juleps. He also mixed honey and alcohol. The record also documents yeast-risen bread and hot biscuits. A list of other ingredients we know were at rendezvous are: Cereals: Indian meal (corn? or camas?) hard bread, hard tack meal (corn meal?) flour rice Fruits and Vegetables: dried fruit dried peas raisins Beverages: milk tea cocoa beans coffee wine brandy alcohol Seasonings: ginger (for alcohol) red peppers (for alcohol) pepper allspice tobacco (for alcohol) Other: salt pork bacon cream butter sugar black molasses So you might see that a true, documented rendezvous meal does not have to be primitive. Why not plan your menu around these real mountain man choices? References: Berry, Don, A Majority of Scoundrels, Sausalito, Comstock Editions, Inc., 1961. Betty Crocker's New Picture Cook Book, First Edition, 1961. DeVoto, Bernard, Across the Wide Missouri, Boston, Houghton Mifflin Co., 1947. Gowans, Fred R., Rocky Mountain Rendezvous, Peregrine Smith Books, 1985. Vestal, Stanley, Jim Bridger, Mountain Man, Lincoln, Univ. of Nebraska Press, 1946. Ratcliff wrote: ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 22 Sep 1999 21:52:42 -0600 From: "Ron Chamberlain" Subject: MtMan-List: BCW Blankets Does anybody know anything about BCW wool blankets? cantact me off list please. Ron cstmzd@ida.net Lewis Fork Free Trappers www.ida.net/users/cstmzd/trappers.html ------------------------------ Date: 22 Sep 99 22:00:36 -0600 From: Phyllis and Don Keas Subject: Re: MtMan-List: Question Reply to: Re: MtMan-List: Question I guess I am missing something in your reply. Are you saying it would be = two blankets held together with pieces of yarn or a blanket with a quilt = held together with pieces of yarn? I'm tired, so maybe it is just me. DON AND PHYLLIS KEAS ---LIving History Consultants turtle wrote: >On Tue, 21 September 1999, Phyllis and Don Keas wrote: > >> = >> Ok folks, here is one. >> I was reading about Charles Autobees. He worked out of Ft. Hall and >> bought several items from them that are listed in the company accounts. = One >> item that acaoght my eye was: "a lined blanket"............... >---------------------------------------- >According to the PA Dutch, Amish and "Common" people a "lined Blanket" is = >just that. A blanket covered with another blanket, not a "dirt cover", = double = >blanket thickness usually held together with yarn ties spaced 4-6" apart. = Ones sewn = >together can be considered "common" quilts, with different patterns and = designs = >you see the "period" quilt. > >Buck's out of town and I'm sure he would be answering this one, as he = >carries a "lined" blanket with his bedding, has done this for at least 25 = years or = >longer. I have used it on occassion in wet weather for extra insulation = from damp = >ground with a bad back. > >Take care - we leave as friends, >Lee "Turtle" Boyer >Historical Advisor - Parks & Rec. >State College, Pennsylvania >___________________________ >Signup for your free USWEST.mail Email account http://www.uswestmail.net > > > >RFC822 header >----------------------------------- > > Received: from lists.xmission.com [198.60.22.7] by mail.market1.com with = ESMTP > (SMTPD32-5.01) id A5882BF0100; Wed, 22 Sep 1999 06:03:20 -0600 > Received: from domo by lists.xmission.com with local (Exim 2.05 #1) > id 11Tl74-0005fW-00 > for hist_text-goout@lists.xmission.com; Wed, 22 Sep 1999 06:03:06 -0600 > Received: from [209.228.14.85] (helo=3Dc000.sfo.cp.net) > by lists.xmission.com with smtp (Exim 2.05 #1) > id 11Tl71-0005fE-00 > for hist_text@lists.xmission.com; Wed, 22 Sep 1999 06:03:03 -0600 > Received: (cpmta 29593 invoked from network); 22 Sep 1999 05:03:02 -0700 > Date: 22 Sep 1999 05:03:02 -0700 > Message-ID: <19990922120302.29592.cpmta@c000.sfo.cp.net> > X-Sent: 22 Sep 1999 12:03:02 GMT > Received: from [12.74.72.96] by mail.uswestmail.net with HTTP; > 22 Sep 1999 05:03:02 PDT > Content-Type: text/plain > Content-Disposition: inline > Mime-Version: 1.0 > To: hist_text@lists.xmission.com > From: turtle@uswestmail.net > X-Mailer: Web Mail 3.1 > Subject: Re: MtMan-List: Question > Sender: owner-hist_text@lists.xmission.com > Precedence: bulk > Reply-To: hist_text@lists.xmission.com > X-RCPT-TO: > X-UIDL: 2349 > Status: U > ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 23 Sep 1999 14:04:16 -0500 From: "Texan" Subject: MtMan-List: Capitulation This is a multi-part message in MIME format. - ------=_NextPart_000_004E_01BF05CC.859EB020 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Judging by the on and off list posts that I have received, you all are = not going to let me be shy, so here is my official howdy to the list. Right now I'm still pretty much cityfied. I haven't done any = blacksmithing, or thrown my hawk yet. I can't start a fire and I fainted the one and only time I shot a gun. = But give me a few years at=20 Rendezvous and I GUARANTEE I will be giving a few people some stiff = competition! I've had a passion for history since I was quite young and have always = wished I had been born several hundred years ago. In the past four years or so I've been focusing my = studies more and more on the late colonial/mountain man era because by my observation this was when = freedom in America was most genuine. I've been grieving the loss of those years, not only because it = was the end of a unique phase in our history, but because it signalled the end of the 2500 year trek of the = Anglo Saxon/Celtic people from their homeland in the Middle East, up through the Caucasus Mountains, across = Europe and finally here to North America. I believe there have been many generations of mountain men-a very = special breed of men who could survive and even thrive under the most primitive and punishing conditions. = These men were the front men for the pioneers and civilizers that came behind them. I have been grieving for the loss of the most free man on earth-the = mountain man with his survival skills, his perspective, his energy. So this is my THANK YOU to the men who = resurrected the mountain man and who created=20 AMM. Thank you for teaching those skills to the rest of us (except for = the open fornication advocated by Bill Klesinger!) that will be necessary for us to survive in the dangerous years ahead. Thank you mountain men for being true leaders of us who have freedom = genetically encoded in every cell of our bodies. =20 If it wasn't for you all, we would still be camped around the Caucasus = Mountains! I promise to never write such a long message again, Victoria Pate Ft. Worth - ------=_NextPart_000_004E_01BF05CC.859EB020 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Judging by the on and off list posts = that I have=20 received, you all are not going to let me be
shy, so here is my official howdy to = the=20 list.
 
Right now I'm still pretty much = cityfied. I=20 haven't done any blacksmithing, or thrown my hawk yet.
I can't start a fire and I fainted = the one and=20 only time I shot a gun.  But give me a few years at
Rendezvous and I GUARANTEE I will be = giving a=20 few people some stiff competition!
 
I've had a passion for history since = I was quite=20 young and have always wished I had been born several
hundred years ago.  In the past = four years=20 or so I've been focusing my studies more and more on the = late
colonial/mountain man era because by = my=20 observation this was when freedom in America was most
genuine. I've been grieving the loss = of those=20 years, not only because it was the end of a unique phase in = our
history, but because it signalled = the end of the=20 2500 year trek of the Anglo Saxon/Celtic people from their
homeland in the Middle East, up = through the=20 Caucasus Mountains, across Europe and finally here to
North America.
 
I believe there have been many = generations of=20 mountain men-a very special breed of men who could survive
and even thrive under the most = primitive and=20 punishing conditions.  These men were the front men for the=20 pioneers
and civilizers that came behind=20 them.
 
I have been grieving for the loss of = the most=20 free man on earth-the mountain man with his survival skills, = his
perspective, his energy.  So = this is my=20 THANK YOU to the men who resurrected the mountain man and who created=20
AMM.  Thank you for teaching = those skills=20 to the rest of us (except for the open fornication advocated by Bill=20 Klesinger!)
that will be necessary for us to = survive in the=20 dangerous years ahead.
 
Thank you mountain men for being = true leaders of=20 us who have freedom genetically encoded in every cell of our = bodies. =20
If it wasn't for you all, we would = still be=20 camped around the Caucasus Mountains!
 
I promise to never write such a long = message=20 again,
Victoria Pate
Ft. Worth
- ------=_NextPart_000_004E_01BF05CC.859EB020-- ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 23 Sep 1999 12:20:15 +0000 From: R Lahti Subject: Re: MtMan-List: Capitulation > Texan wrote: > > Judging by the on and off list posts that I have received, you all are > not going to let me be > shy, so here is my official howdy to the list. > I promise to never write such a long message again, > Victoria Pate > Ft. Worth Victoria Pate, You may write as long a message as you wish. Thank you for such an inspiring introduction. Though you really didn't say much about yourself personally, you did tell us volumes about how many of us feel and why we feel it in a way that most cannot articulate. That you share and understand these feelings is proof enough that you belong in this fellowship. Welcome aboard mate. I remain.... YMOS Capt. Lahti' ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 23 Sep 1999 14:43:18 -0700 From: John Dearing Subject: MtMan-List: Re: hist_text-digest V1 #371 > > >I'm also a relative newcomer, only I'm located north of Kansas City. I > >also just got all my parts together to set up my forge and start smithing > >again. Been several years, and I mostly just shaped some trap stakes, > >figured I might want to try it with coal, just fer grins. It'll be nice to > >talk to someone about smithing. > > > Todd, Check out these sites. http://www.abana.org/, http://www.celticknot.com/elektric/anvil.html http://anvilfire.com/, http://www.seanet.com/~neilwin/index.htm, http://www.blacksmithsjournal.com/ and last but not least, the Blacksmithing Association of MO http://www.advertisnet.com/bamsite/ Membership is 20 bucks a year with several free seminars available each year, and good low sulphur coal available to members. J.D. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 23 Sep 1999 15:04:44 -0500 From: "John McKee" Subject: Re: MtMan-List: Capitulation This is a multi-part message in MIME format. - ------=_NextPart_000_003B_01BF05D4.F802C540 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Messages like that one could almost make a grown man cry!! Glad you = found "The List". It, by in large, is informative, thought provoking and = not occasionally....humerous. Welcome. Long John #l677 ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Texan=20 To: hist_text@xmission.com=20 Sent: Thursday, September 23, 1999 2:04 PM Subject: MtMan-List: Capitulation Judging by the on and off list posts that I have received, you all are = not going to let me be shy, so here is my official howdy to the list. =20 Right now I'm still pretty much cityfied. I haven't done any = blacksmithing, or thrown my hawk yet. I can't start a fire and I fainted the one and only time I shot a gun. = But give me a few years at=20 Rendezvous and I GUARANTEE I will be giving a few people some stiff = competition! =20 I've had a passion for history since I was quite young and have always = wished I had been born several hundred years ago. In the past four years or so I've been focusing my = studies more and more on the late colonial/mountain man era because by my observation this was when = freedom in America was most genuine. I've been grieving the loss of those years, not only because = it was the end of a unique phase in our history, but because it signalled the end of the 2500 year trek of the = Anglo Saxon/Celtic people from their homeland in the Middle East, up through the Caucasus Mountains, across = Europe and finally here to North America. =20 I believe there have been many generations of mountain men-a very = special breed of men who could survive and even thrive under the most primitive and punishing conditions. = These men were the front men for the pioneers and civilizers that came behind them. =20 I have been grieving for the loss of the most free man on earth-the = mountain man with his survival skills, his perspective, his energy. So this is my THANK YOU to the men who = resurrected the mountain man and who created=20 AMM. Thank you for teaching those skills to the rest of us (except = for the open fornication advocated by Bill Klesinger!) that will be necessary for us to survive in the dangerous years ahead. =20 Thank you mountain men for being true leaders of us who have freedom = genetically encoded in every cell of our bodies. =20 If it wasn't for you all, we would still be camped around the Caucasus = Mountains! =20 I promise to never write such a long message again, Victoria Pate Ft. Worth - ------=_NextPart_000_003B_01BF05D4.F802C540 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Messages like that one could = almost make a=20 grown man cry!! Glad you found "The List". It, by in large, is = informative,=20 thought provoking and not occasionally....humerous.  Welcome.  = Long=20 John #l677
----- Original Message -----
From:=20 Texan
To: hist_text@xmission.com
Sent: Thursday, September 23, = 1999 2:04=20 PM
Subject: MtMan-List: = Capitulation

Judging by the on and off list = posts that I=20 have received, you all are not going to let me be
shy, so here is my official howdy = to the=20 list.
 
Right now I'm still pretty much = cityfied. I=20 haven't done any blacksmithing, or thrown my hawk yet.
I can't start a fire and I fainted = the one and=20 only time I shot a gun.  But give me a few years at
Rendezvous and I GUARANTEE I will = be giving a=20 few people some stiff competition!
 
I've had a passion for history = since I was=20 quite young and have always wished I had been born = several
hundred years ago.  In the = past four=20 years or so I've been focusing my studies more and more on the=20 late
colonial/mountain man era because = by my=20 observation this was when freedom in America was most
genuine. I've been grieving the = loss of those=20 years, not only because it was the end of a unique phase in = our
history, but because it signalled = the end of=20 the 2500 year trek of the Anglo Saxon/Celtic people from = their
homeland in the Middle East, up = through the=20 Caucasus Mountains, across Europe and finally here to
North America.
 
I believe there have been many = generations of=20 mountain men-a very special breed of men who could = survive
and even thrive under the most = primitive and=20 punishing conditions.  These men were the front men for the=20 pioneers
and civilizers that came behind=20 them.
 
I have been grieving for the loss = of the most=20 free man on earth-the mountain man with his survival skills, = his
perspective, his energy.  So = this is my=20 THANK YOU to the men who resurrected the mountain man and who created=20
AMM.  Thank you for teaching = those skills=20 to the rest of us (except for the open fornication advocated by Bill=20 Klesinger!)
that will be necessary for us to = survive in=20 the dangerous years ahead.
 
Thank you mountain men for being = true leaders=20 of us who have freedom genetically encoded in every cell of our = bodies. =20
If it wasn't for you all, we would = still be=20 camped around the Caucasus Mountains!
 
I promise to never write such a = long message=20 again,
Victoria Pate
Ft.=20 Worth
- ------=_NextPart_000_003B_01BF05D4.F802C540-- ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 23 Sep 1999 13:39:21 -0700 From: Julia and Michael Sirovetz Subject: Re: MtMan-List: Capitulation Amen Lady, you done said a mouthful. I also have a deep love for the era, and long for the campanionship of others with similar interests. I hail from the Willamette Valley of Oregon, and also spend a good amount of time in Livingston Montana. I am looking to reenter the Rendezvous lifestyle, it has been over 10 years. I really look forward sharping my skills. I have really been enjoying the List and would appreciate any advice offered. I am looking to buy a hawk or two, any recommendations? Much obliged, julie ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 23 Sep 1999 18:01:46 -0600 From: Mike Moore Subject: Re: MtMan-List: bacon? Glenn, Thanks for the reminder. A good camp needs good food, and approiate ones specially. But could you give me some on input on where you found the pancake turner? Not heard of that one. There is really no reason for us not to have good tasting, filling and healthy meals when on the trail. We just need to come prepared and have them in the right containers. I have come to enjoy the variety of wild foods when out in camp. A nice buffalo tongue or grouse with rice always makes my mouth water! Glenn Darilek wrote: > If we want to strictly reenact a mountaineer rendezvous, we would > have food that can be documented as having been at one of the > actual rendezvous. We can go one step further in using food > that would be appropriate for our particular personna. Of course, > we can assume wild game and fish, of any type found in the area > of the rendezvous would qualify, particularly buffalo, deer, > elk, beaver tail, and trout. I did an informal research a > few years ago using published sources to document what food > was at the original rendezvous. I posted this some time ago, > but I think it is relevant to the topic. There are some > surprises: > > If you have the stomach, there are boudins (roasted > buffalo intestine with partially digested grass inside), > and boiled puppy! > > Rice pudding - cooked without eggs and with little sugar by > Sarah Smith and others. Ms. Smith also cooked biscuit > pudding and meat pies with crust in a tin baker. She also > had wild currants. > > Mince pies - cooked by Mrs. Gray. Mince pie has meat and > fruit minced for a hearty filling. They made mince from fat > cow, deer meat, elk, and bighorn. > > Doughnuts - fried in the alien fats of bear or buffalo > were cooked by the missionaries' wives. "Doughty cakes" were > brought to America by Dutch and English settlers. Originally > balls or "nuts" of yeast dough, the Yankees found the quicker > way. > > Fried Cakes - Ms. Gray also made fried cakes. These were > probably pancakes, because we know they took pancake turners. > > Mary Walker cooked pudding, pies, and greens. > > Captain William Drummond Stuart brought: tins of preserved > meat, bottles of pickles, brandy, porter, fine wines, hams, a > box of sardines, and used wild mint for juleps. He also > mixed honey and alcohol. > > The record also documents yeast-risen bread and hot biscuits. > A list of other ingredients we know were at rendezvous are: > > Cereals: > Indian meal (corn? or camas?) > hard bread, hard tack > meal (corn meal?) > flour > rice > > Fruits and Vegetables: > dried fruit > dried peas > raisins > > Beverages: > milk > tea > cocoa beans > coffee > wine > brandy > alcohol > > Seasonings: > ginger (for alcohol) > red peppers (for alcohol) > pepper > allspice > tobacco (for alcohol) > > Other: > salt pork > bacon > cream > butter > sugar > black molasses > > So you might see that a true, documented rendezvous meal does > not have to be primitive. Why not plan your menu around these > real mountain man choices? > > References: > > Berry, Don, A Majority of Scoundrels, Sausalito, Comstock > Editions, Inc., 1961. > > Betty Crocker's New Picture Cook Book, First Edition, 1961. > > DeVoto, Bernard, Across the Wide Missouri, Boston, Houghton > Mifflin Co., 1947. > > Gowans, Fred R., Rocky Mountain Rendezvous, Peregrine Smith > Books, 1985. > > Vestal, Stanley, Jim Bridger, Mountain Man, Lincoln, Univ. of > Nebraska Press, 1946. Ratcliff wrote: ------------------------------ End of hist_text-digest V1 #374 ******************************* - To unsubscribe to hist_text-digest, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe hist_text-digest" in the body of the message.