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Rendezvous participants embrace pre-1840 era Posted: Wednesday, Jul 23, 2008 - 10:20:56 am MDT By Hope Nealson The Western News
At the 12th annual Two Rivers Rendezvous last weekend, more than 100 gun-toting mountain men and women dressed in their pre-1840 attire marched through the tall grasses of the mountain meadows along a trail that meandered under a canopy of towering pine, fir and larch, taking aim at targets along the way with their muzzle-loaded rifles and pistols. Staged at the Fawn Creek Campground last weekend, the camp sported clusters of tepees and makeshift tents, where traders from around Montana sold their handmade wares under a hot sun and blue sky - from tanned hides and cookies to handmade axes and rifles to clothes and jewelry.For many, like Wolf, One-Eyed Jack and Rabbit Lady, it was a reunion of sorts, where longtime friends got a chance to spend a weekend together swapping stories and memories, or making up new ones - including nicknames. Rabbit Lady’s son just got his name - Jack Rabbit. She explained some of the stories behind the names - like her own, when she traded and sold three huge bags of furless rabbit hides two years ago at a Eureka gathering. From Columbia Falls, Rabbit Lady - also known as Lorie Bailey - has been going to the rendezvous for five years and is hooked on the events and the people. “One-Eyed Jack made my pouch,” she said, showing its soft weasel fur. “Eagle Eye makes the clothes, but I call him Silver Fox because his beard is snow white,” she said. For some, like Weezil of Bonners Ferry, it was his first time - but he was noticed for helping out in the camp, teaching children how to make the copper wire bracelets he sells along with his handmade axes, pelts and antique boxes. Still others, like Daryl Askvig of Kalispell, didn’t come to trade at all, but to soak up the pre-1840s atmosphere with his family. Askvig said he has been bringing his family here for years and enjoys the kid-friendly atmosphere. “You don’t ever have to worry about what they are up to, because everyone is looking out for everyone,” he said. Along with the far-away gunshots, archery, knife and axe-throwing competitions go on throughout the day while the sounds of children fill the camp as they make the rounds. One - David Bruyer from Kalispell - stopped at Wee-zil’s tent to receive some more metal-bending instructions - he planned to sell his newly-made bracelet for $5 to an interested lady across the camp. The 4-H-sponsored food booth in the middle of camp also provided the “modern” conveniences of home cooking for those like Drew McLaury, who preferred not to grill his own steak and had them do it while camping all weekend with his brother, participating in the shooting competition. A Montana wedding between Gary and Milli Beal of Troy topped off Saturday’s festivities as people gathered to celebrate the new couple. “It’s just a fun group of people to hang out with,” summed up another old-time rendezvous participant, Freddie Phillips, the mother-in-law of Lenny “Bushway,” the head man of the event.
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The Western News
P O Box 1377 / Libby, MT 59923 / 406-293-4124