<BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">I'm looking for info on the Ft. Bridger Rendezvous this Labor Day:<BR>
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</FONT><FONT COLOR="#000080" style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=2 FAMILY="SCRIPT" FACE="Comic Sans MS" LANG="0"><B><BR>
Steve, It's scheduled for Labor Day weekend, August 31 - September 2, 2002. Contact info is The Fort Bridger Rendezvous Association @ (307) 782-3842.<BR>
<BR>
Barney</B></FONT></HTML>
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Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 07:53:24 -0500
From: "Frank Fusco" <Rifleman1776@centurytel.net>
Subject: MtMan-List: fleas & lice
I have read some of the accounts of trappers putting their clothes over
ant hills in the spring to rid them of lice. But I have always doubted the
necessity of waiting until spring to get rid of the critters.
An acquaintance that lives in an 8000ft. elevation community in Colorado
has told me that fleas and lice cannot survive the altitude and dry air
there and especially not the cold in winter. Admittedly, that is second hand
info but, if true, trappers in the Rockies would not have been bothered by
the critters.
And fleas have a very limited temperature range in which they can
survive. Cold will kill them and their eggs. At one time our home got an
infestation of fleas from a pet. We tried everything to get rid of them with
no success. Until one day in the winter I simply turned off the furnace and
opened the windows. We left the house for about twelve hours. In that time
everything, furniture, carpets, etc. got down to about 30 degrees. From then
on no more fleas.
I can see where old Titus Bass might have got his nickname Scratch in
the warmer, wetter region of St. Louis and the river country but in the
mountains all one would have to do is take off their clothes for a couple
hours and no more fleas or lice.
Right?
Frank G. Fusco
Mountain Home, Arkansas
http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/ozarksmuzzleloaders
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Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 09:55:58 EDT
From: TrapRJoe@aol.com
Subject: Re: MtMan-List: fleas & lice
Against a living body the temperature would not fall to below a livable
range. In fact when we catch beaver under ice, and the do come out from
under the ice, they are almost always have a health population of fleas.
TrapRJoe
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Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 09:21:55 -0600
From: "Gene Hickman" <ghickman9@attbi.com>
Subject: Re: MtMan-List: fleas & lice
I don't think that very many trapper's wintered at or above 8,000 feet. Many
of the original winter camp locations I am familiar with are much lower than
that.
Gene "Bead Shooter" Hickman
>...An acquaintance that lives in an 8000ft. elevation> >community in
Colorado has told me that fleas and lice> >cannot survive the altitude and
dry air there and especially> >not the cold in winter. Admittedly, that is
second hand info> >but, if true, trappers in the Rockies would not have
been> >bothered by the critters....>
> Frank G. Fusco
> Mountain Home, Arkansas
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Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 14:14:52 -0700
From: "busterize" <busterize@oldwest.net>
Subject: MtMan-List: Smoking Trappers
Thanks to everyone who contributed info on bathing,. Most enlightening and
informative. The notion of not smoking is a revelation, and something to
take into account in my novel, since hero smokes a clay pipe. Maybe he'll
have to go cold turket during the trapping season, eh?
Geri D
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Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 15:34:51 -0700
From: Pat Quilter <pat_quilter@qscaudio.com>
Subject: MtMan-List: Re Fleas and Lice
Considering that this was a somewhat delicate subject, the limited number
of references to fleas and lice take on added significance.
All of us have seen complaints in pioneer and other frontier journals.
Lewis and Clark noted flea attacks while camping at certain dismantled
Indian villages in the Columbia river basin. They remarked that the plank
dwellings had been dismantled and pinned under water in an apparent attempt
to kill off "the sagacious critters". That this situation was worthy of note
indicates they were not ALWAYS infested (and also supports the notion that
fleas survive in lower elevations).
Lewis Garrard remarks humorously at a newbie's complaints about being
bitten, and also noted elsewhere that he had become "not at all fastidious"
which I take to indicate resignation to vermin.
Various remedies such as putting clothes on anthills or even boiling
shirts etc indicate that fleas were a known problem, otherwise, why make
note of what to do about it?
Modern people who live on the ground for prolonged periods get lice
unless they maintain modern hygienic habits such as daily bathing and
frequent laundering. These were not the conditions on the frontier.
Sailors battled vermin. The British navy of the period were fairly
vermin-free due to regular shipboard scrubbing, but prisoners or local
traders were often lousy.
At the risk of engaging in informed supposition (which is not quite the
same as fantasy) I would feel safe in assuming that trappers (and Indians)
were frequently if not typically infested with fleas and lice. Like many
other chronic annoyances, one probably tolerated it to a point and then did
something about it. I also have a strong suspicion that smoked buckskin
clothing is somewhat less vermin-friendly than cloth, and the Indian style
of dress probably provided somewhat fewer places for bugs to hide.
Pat Quilter
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Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 19:22:32 -0600 (MDT)
From: <beaverboy@sofast.net>
Subject: MtMan-List: Fleas, lice, crabs and Indians bath's
Charles Larpentaur in his wonderful book "Forty Years a Fur Trader on
the Upper Missouri" gives a reference to being invited to sleep with some
indians in their lodge and regretting it almost instantly after stretching
out in their bed as he became infested with lice. He became infested which
means he must not have had them before.
Lice is much worse than fleas as fleas are easily picked off. I've
worked in a skinning room were fleas were jumping off of dead critters
like a ship going down! They never seemed to be a problem.(for me anyway)
I have had lots of fleas on me but never lice. I've seen lice on kids
heads before and they are much worse to get rid of. I'm willing to bet
that most of the problems were lice or crabs? Not so much fleas.
A mean trick to do was collect a dozen or more fleas and put them in a
small vile. Then when you run into a guy you don't like at the bar that
night you would empty the vile on his back discreetly as you walked by.
Then sit back at your table and watch the show! I never did that but know
a guy who did.
As soon as a trapper killed another flea laden animal such as a wolf,
coyote and especially a fox he would get more fleas. Usually these fleas
look for another host, like your dog. Just carrying a freshly dead coyote
or especially a red fox a short distance and you have to wipe the fleas
off of the arm you were using to carry it. This is done every minute until
you get to your destination or the animal runs out of fleas.
Beaver can indeed have fleas but they are water fleas, altogether
another type of flea. I don't think they survive on land. I only find them
on a small portion of our beaver here in Montana, say perhaps 10% at most.
I've never seen one go to a human or any other land animal for that
matter.
Gene is correct. Not many Mountain Men would ever winter at 8000'
feet! That altitude is only free of snow a short time each year. From what
I've read they usually found a nice protected river valley with lots of
grass or cottonwoods to feed their horses, and made "winter quarters". Or
they wintered at a fort.(or right outside the fort anyway)
I read a journal account on Indians bathing were the trapper said
that indians were in the water daily in warm months and never went near it
when the water got icy. I'm sure they were as grubby as white guys and I'm
sure some people stayed cleaner than others just like today. Excuse me I
have to go take a shower now.
Beaverboy
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Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 19:27:19 -0600 (MDT)
From: <beaverboy@sofast.net>
Subject: MtMan-List: Smoking Trappers
Geri,
What did you hear about smoking? Osborn Russell gives several accounts
of smoking his pipe in his journal (1834-43) 2/3 of Lewis & Clark's men
used tobaccy either smoking or chewing it. The Mandans also grew smoking
tobacco (indian tobacco not white man) What did you hear about smoking?
Beaverboy
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Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 22:08:25 EDT
From: Casapy123@aol.com
Subject: Re: MtMan-List: Was Fleas, lice, crabs and Indians bath's - now Winter Quarters
For a terriffic article on winter camps, you all should check out the Spring
2002 edition of Montana Magazine. It's Vol 52, No. 1, if that helps. Kerry
Oman, a PhD candidate who got his master degree under Fred Gowans and is now
studying under David Weber at SMU did a terriffic job on this paper. He
presented it at the Fur Trade Symposium at Pinedale several years back and
now it is finally in print. The article received the Merrill G.
Burlingame-K. Ross Toole Award for best student manuscript in 2001.
If you can't find a copy, The Museum of the Mountain Man in Pinedale, WY
sells it and they can be reached at 307-367-4101.
Jim Hardee, AMM#1676
P.O. Box 1228
Quincy, CA 95971
(530)283-4566 (H)
(530)283-3330 (W)
(530)283-5171 FAX
Casapy123@aol.com
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Date: Fri, 26 Jul 2002 00:52:14 -0600
From: "Michael Powell" <amm1769@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: MtMan-List: capote pattern
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Frank,
Having made close to 600 capotes in my years and a capote maker by Rendez=
vous trade, I can tell you that all patterns are basically the same. Wha=
t makes each one unique is the amount of tailoring and customizing a pers=
on does to it. Any pattern can be modified to what you are talking about=
. However, folks get a little shy about cutting into a $140 blanket if t=
hey don't have a lot of experience. Make a paper pattern first and the o=
l' "measure twice, cut once" helps to watch for mistakes. The biggest th=
ing about a capote pattern is that as long as you don't make a serious bl=
under, the pattern is fairly forgiving.
Let me know, off list, if I can be of further assistance. By the way, Ci=
ndy is still looking for a good material for the vest you wanted.
Later,
Mike =20
- ----- Original Message -----
From: JOAQUINQS@aol.com
Sent: Monday, July 22, 2002 1:52 PM
To: hist_text@lists.xmission.com
Subject: MtMan-List: capote pattern
Hello list,
I have spoken to wes housler a few months ago, and we discussed capote pa=
tterns, in our discussion he was researching a more correct pattern of ca=
pote very similar to the great lakes capot, with the arms being slightly =
curved and the length being mid-thigh and having more of a cuff , and the=
waist being abit more flared rather than the straight cut of the typical=
patterns of today. I have made several capotes from paul muellers patte=
rn , but if anyone has a pattern of my description or a place for me to o=
btain one I would appreciate any info and input.
thanks
frank sablan
Odessa, texas Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http:/=
