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Date: Sun, 08 Apr 2001 09:06:59 -0700
From: "Ole B. Jensen" <olebjensen@earthlink.net>
Subject: MtMan-List: good Argument
Hello the Camp!
As most can agree Brain Tanned leather is the choice of most these days, It
would seem to me that it is more in use today then by pilgrims and camp
tenders during the 1800 to 1840s. The custom of the Fur companies during the
period was to keep there men broke and owing money to the company. There for
I would suggest that the shoes, shirts and leather breaches/trousers were
made by manufacturers back east for sale to the company men.
In order for a trapper to become free he would have to pay off the company
and not purchase any more than he had too, this to me would force him to
trade with Indians for his clothing if he did not have a wife to make them.
Many years ago I attended a Civil War Reinactors meeting and found that
there were more officers then foot soldiers. I would think that comercial
made clothing from the period would include leather that is not brain
tanned.
Just a few thoughts.
YMOS
Ole # 718
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Date: Sun, 8 Apr 2001 11:43:43 -0400 (EDT)
From: Buck Conner <buck_conner@email.com>
Subject: RE: MtMan-List: good Argument
- ------Original Message------
From: "Ole B. Jensen" <olebjensen@earthlink.net>
To: hist_text <hist_text@lists.xmission.com>
Sent: April 8, 2001 4:06:59 PM GMT
Subject: MtMan-List: good Argument
Hello the Camp!
As most can agree Brain Tanned leather is the choice of most these days, It
would seem to me that it is more in use today then by pilgrims and camp
tenders during the 1800 to 1840s. The custom of the Fur companies during the
period was to keep there men broke and owing money to the company. There for
I would suggest that the shoes, shirts and leather breaches/trousers were
made by manufacturers back east for sale to the company men.
In order for a trapper to become free he would have to pay off the company
and not purchase any more than he had too, this to me would force him to
trade with Indians for his clothing if he did not have a wife to make them.
Many years ago I attended a Civil War Reinactors meeting and found that
there were more officers then foot soldiers. I would think that comercial
made clothing from the period would include leather that is not brain
tanned.
Just a few thoughts.
YMOS
Ole # 718
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Ole,
Your correct, no different that decades later with the coal miner debt bill to the company.
Look at Grant's pouch book, Pennsylvania clothing books, military reference books and so on, all show commerical tanned articles from small pocket books, sewing kits, hunting pouches, all the way through a large variety of factory made clothing for those that could afford it. That's the key "those that could afford it", in the case of the mountainman, most where already in over their head in debt to the company they where with.
At the end of the season there where few rich men after all the bills where paid and new items purchased for the next season, sounds like today doesn't it. We have the lotteries today and how many come up rich on that game compared to how many paid for the winners, same back then a few trappers turned businessmen made the bucks while the rest got by and made them richer.
Tanners where big in the east like in Europe, Matt Richards could tell us more on that subject, being in the business and I believe if you look in pass discussions one would find reference that he has made about commerical leather.
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt Arial">Tom, As to your comments about...<FONT size=2> "educated mountain men" . There are many good first hand accounts available by these "white savages".. It is amazing to learn how educated many of them where. If we were to believe Hollywood's version of history these books would be full of ' X s'. Read; Zenas Leonard, Osborne Russell, James Ohio Pattie, Jim Kirker, James Clyman, Jed Smith, Rufus Sage, Lewis Garrard, Gabriel Franchere, Charles Larpenter, etc..... Lots of good writers among the Mountain of Old..... hardtack</DIV></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>
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