The Old Mountaineer's Best Christmas

Of all the dang fool greenhorn stunts to pull!  Gettin' lost in a danged snowstorm!  You'd think this was his first winter in the mountains!  The old trapper paused and looked around, trying once more to make out any familiar landmark that might give him a clue as to where he was and where he might find enough shelter to hunker down for the night.
He had set out from his cabin early that sunny winter morning to hunt because he was plumb out of meat and a man's gotta have meat; meat and coffee; the two things the old trapper couldn't do without.  He had shot a mule eared doe in the afternoon but kept going hoping to find buffler. And now here he was, fearsome turned around in a blinding snowstorm with night comin' on pronto.  He looked around again. Nothin' but snow. His saddle horse and pack mule were gettin' mighty tired and they were goin' to need water and forage for the night.
He pushed on, keeping the wind at his back.  He figured his cabin had to be west by south but if he could just blunder in to a creek bed with some cottonwoods and willows he could get a fire going and if there was no creek bottom grass for his animals he could peel some willow bark for them to put in their bellies.  If only...
And now it was plumb dark.  He had two choices.  Either he could stop right here and hunker down under the buffalo robe that he carried on the pack mule and hope he didn't freeze to death before morning, or he could keep pushin'.  He decided to keep pushin' on in the snowy darkness.
He took another look around...and there it was! In the distance, off to the left!  A light shining through the blowing, falling snow!  How could that be?  His old eyes must be playin' tricks on him!  He wiped his coat sleeve across his eyes.  The light was still there, by golly!  "Okay Red" he spoke to his horse, "let's go see if it's for real or if it's Ole Slew Foot playin' tricks on us.  If it ain't for real, we'll probably die out there on the prairie tonight.  Might as well go see, one way or t'other.  Hep!  Let's go boy."
As the old trapper rode farther out on the prairie, the light remained in the same spot, getting brighter the closer he got.  What danged fool besides him would be out here?!
As he rode nearer, the ground started dropping off into a creek bottom and a nice big grove of cottonwood trees and, in the shelter of the trees, a nice big fire.  He breathed a big sigh of relief.  With a fire that big, it had to be white fellers for sure!  But who could be out here on the prairie in the dead of winter?  He rode on, and as he neared the light he yelled out "Helloooo the camp!  Hello the camp!"
The strong voice of a young man answered, "Whoever you are you better come in by the fire and have some hot coffee!  Come on in stranger!"
The old man rode up to the camp and couldn't believe his eyes!  There was a covered wagon with the tongue standing straight up and a lantern hanging from the top of the wagon tongue!  It was that lantern that had caught his eye.  But the rest of the scene was beyond belief for the old mountaineer, for before him was a snug lean to with a nice warm fire before it, and in that lean to was a young woman with a baby in her arms!  They were snug in a couple of wool blankets with a big buffalo robe over all.  The young man was standing by the fire in a big buffalo coat, fur cap and mittens holding a steaming cup of coffee.
"Get down off your horse stranger and get up here to the fire! We've plenty of stew and coffee to share.  And there's a good stand of tall grass here in the creek bottom for your animals.  Come on man!  You look nigh froze!"
The old man climbed stiffly down from Red's back and shuffled up to the fire where he gladly accepted the tin mug of hot coffee.  "What in tarnation are you folks doing out here in the middle of nowhere in the middle of winter?  I'm tastin' this hot coffee and I STILL can't believe my eyes!'
The young woman smiled brightly and the young man chuckled.  "My name's Joe Benton and this is my wife, Mary.  And that there in her arms is our new son, just born today!  Haven't even named him yet, but he's a Christmas baby so he'll have a Bible name for sure!"
"He would have a Bible name anyway and you know it Joe!" Mary spoke for the first time.  "And who might you be, stranger who rides in out of the snowy night?" she asked.
"Well ma'am, my name's Clive...Clive Nash.  And all the years I've been out here in these mountains I ain't NEVER seen a purtier sight than that lantern hangin' from the top of that wagon tongue for I was for danged sure lost in the night and now I ain't lost no more!  If this don't beat all I ever seen!  A white woman and a new baby clean out here in the middle of nowhere in a Rocky Mountain blizzard and lookin' like yer a doin' just fine!  Jim Bridger hisself couldn't make up a taller tale than this here! Like I asked ye before; what'r you folks doin' here?"
Joe smiled and began to explain, "Well Mr. Nash we..."
"Clive!" the old trapper said, "Just call me Clive."
"Well Clive" Joe began again, "we were on our way down from Fort Laramie to that new Denver City and..."
"I ain't never heared of that Denver City." the old trapper interupted.  "Where that place be?"
"It's on the South Platte about another 50 or 75 miles  on south from here I reckon" said Joe "and we're headed there to open up a new shop.  I'm a gunsmith by trade and figured they could use my services down there.  We left Fort Laramie about a week ago and were making good time with the weather being so good, until Mary here decided to have the baby earlier than we expected. We had just set up camp in this creek bottom when the young'n decide it was time.  I hung that storm lantern up there on the wagon tongue so we would have plenty of light in camp.  And then the snowstorm hit.  Do they always blow in that fast in this country?"
"Yessir, most times they do fer sure!" said Clive.  "It caught me too!  I was out huntin' meat and ranged farther than I had planned lookin' fer buffler.  I've been out here in these mountains for 30 years and never been lost until tonight.  I come out in '29 with Billy Sublette and been out here ever since.  You folks saved my bacon fer sure!"
It was then that Mary spoke up again. "Mr. Clive, it wasn't me and Joe that 'saved your bacon' as you put it!  It was this baby.  We would have been miles on down toward Denver City if the little guy hadn't decided to come today and we probably would have perished ourselves in this snowstorm if we hadn't found this place and got camp set up before the storm hit.  All in all, I'd say that this baby is not only your savior, but ours as well.  Quite fitting that he came into this world on Christmas day in this year of Our Lord 1859, wouldn't you say so Mr. Clive?"
"Christmas Day!  Well I'll be danged!  I had me no idea that it was Christmas!  Y'see ma'am, I got me a cabin snugged up in them foothills of the mountains off to the west of here and I don't hardly see folks much 'ceptin' the Cheyenne and maybe a few 'Rapahoes now and then. Since beaver quit payin' nigh on twenty year ago now, I mostly trade with the Cheyennes fer buffler robes and then trade the robes fer my coffee and powder and lead and more trade goods to trade fer more buffler robes.  Been tradin' em up t' Laramie fort fer the past dozen years or so.  Down to Bent's mud fort before that.  So, ya see ma'am, I had me no idea it was Christmas!  And it danged sure is a Christmas miracle you folks are here cuz I'da froze ta death somewhere's out there on the prairie this night!"
Joe spoke up then. "Well Clive, you just get your stock taken care of and put with our four mules there in the cotttonwoods and then you get up here next to the fire and refill that coffee cup because we were just getting ready to read the story of the birth of Jesus Christ in the book of Luke in the Bible.  I believe it is quite fitting this night."
"Folks" Clive said, "I don't believe I ever heared that story, but if it's anything near like the story of this here young'n and what he done fer us this night I cain't wait ta hear it!"
"Mr Clive," Mary spoke up with a twinkle in her eyes, "It's a much grander story than you could even imagine!  I cannot wait for you to hear it!"
"Amen Mary!" Joseph said

Merry Christmas and may the true story of the birth of  Our Lord and Savior touch your heart and brighten your lodge this season.

God Bless,

Max and Family

In the Turkey Creek Valley in the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand and Seventeen

A Day That Will Live In Infamy

It's about 9:30 in the evening and I'm just now sitting down to relax for the evening but I couldn't let the day pass without paying respects to those men and women who were at Pearl Harbor on Sunday, December 7th, 1941; a day that will live in infamy.

2,403 Americans killed and 1,178 wounded.  Rest In Peace Brave Souls!

And thank you to all of you men and women who have served, are serving, or will serve in the United States military. God Bless you.
And especially all of you United States Navy sailors - Fair winds and following seas!

Tulsa Gun Show Report

Well folks, we attended the Wannenmacher gun show in  Tulsa last weekend.  This show is held twice a year, in early April and again in early November.  It is said that this is the largest gun show in the world with over 2,200 tables.  Now we go to this show usually at least once a year and my father-in-law usually has two tables but this year he invited me to share his tables with him.  I had 4 guns ready, three of which were/are for sale and my personal .54 flint fullstock Hawken which was NOT for sale.  I also had a fair amount of plunder ready for sale; a couple of bullet pouches, three knives with sheathes, one of my hand peeled aspen hiking sticks, a moosehide belt pouch, a leather deer drag, and a good supply of 4 oz. tins of beef tallow.  The general consensus of those exhibitors in our area was that folks weren't spending much.  That was certainly true for my father-in-law (a highly respected builder of single shot cartridge rifles) and myself.  The only things we actually sold were off my table; two cans of beef tallow patch lube and gun grease and my .62 Northwest Trade Gun.  My father-in-law did garner a probable order for a single shot Hepburn rifle which is his specialty.

Having said all that, I DID get to talk to a couple of interesting fellers.  I got to visit quite a bit with Jeff Hengesbaugh who had his tables just across the isle and down a couple of tables from us.  Now if you don't know who Jeff is, you haven't been a western buckskinner very long.  Jeff is a legend in the hard core mountain man community.  You see, back in 1973, back from serving his country in Viet Nam, Jeff along with Bill Hamilton and Steve Johnson saddled up their horses, loaded their pack horses and set off from Gila Arizona to ride to the Canadian border!  Yes, I said from Arizona to Canada!!!  They  wore their buckskins, carried their muzzle loading rifles, and did everything as it would have been done before 1840!  It took them six months, living off the land, starving, running out of water, and getting shot at by Indians (for real!), but they made it all the way to Canada!  Jeff now has a mountain man and Southwest history museum in Glorieta New Mexico and is also an expert on the battle of Glorieta Pass. Quite an interesting fellow and I look forward to visiting him in Glorieta, hopefully next summer.  If you want to know a little more about their ride,  go to YouTube and search mountain man ride to Canada. 

The other interesting feller I visited with for a few minutes was Bruce Day.  Bruce is a hiveranno in the American Mountain Men.  These guys are NOT your average, every day buckskinner; they are the most seriously dedicated group of  fur trade mountain man historians and reinactors that you will find.  Anywhere!  Now, it's always been in the back of my mind, although I'm usually not a "joiner" of groups and the like, to join up with this outfit.  The problem is, you have to be invited by existing members and I have never actually run in to any of these guys.  Until now!  Bruce has invited me to contact him with the possibility of  attending some of their camps which would start me on the trail to become a member of this esteemed outfit!  Thanks Bruce, I look forward to visiting more with you about this.  If you would like to know more about the A.M.M. you can find them on the web at http://americanmountainmen.org/  Check them out.

Well that's about it for my first time being a trader at "the world's largest gun show".  I'm now looking forward to the spring show in April.  Looks like I better get busy and build another gun or two, and some more accoutrements as well.  It'll be a busy winter.

Until we meet on down the trail, keep your flint sharp and your pan primed!

TC

P.S. Ive got a couple more videos up on YouTube at Turkey Creek 1823.

Prime Meat Left In The Field!

Well, I just finished muzzleloader deer season here in Oklahoma yesterday.  I was hoping to put two deer in the freezer this week but will settle for one,  a 7 point buck I shot last Saturday.  Hopefully I will get at leasst two more during regular gun season which starts the Saturday before Thanksgiving, with the Lord's blessing.
As I was fixing my lunch last Monday, I got to thinking about a prime cut of deer meat that most hunters leave laying out in the field for the coyotes to eat and how they don't know what a good meal they're missing out on.  You see, I was fixing fresh deer heart for lunch! It's a prime piece of meat; lean and healthy and simple to cut up and prepare.
I carry a large zip lock bag with me when hunting and after field dressing my deer I retrieve the heart and put it in the bag.  When I get it home I wash it and put it in a glass bowl, cover it with water and set it in the refrigerator until I'm ready to cook it, either that day or the next.  Of course you could strike a fire out in the woods right after you dress your deer out and cut it up and roast it right then! I reckon it don't get any better than that!
It's easy to prepare.  It starts out looking like this:

I trim off the fat and then slice it up about 3/8 of an inch thick. I then trim out the vessels,  inner walls of the heart,  etc. It ends up like this:

Next, it goes in the cast iron skillet and gets seasoned to taste. For me that means fried in bacon grease and seasoned with fresh ground pepper.  DON'T OVER COOK IT! Folks are always trying to over cook venison and that is a BIG mistake!  It should still be a little red inside when you pull it from the skillet.

It's really hard not to eat it right from the skillet as it's cooking!

Well, this is definitely a Hunter's Lunch!

This is a great cut of meat that deserves to be utilized and not left in the field.  And if any of y'all are elk hunters, well it's downright sinful to leave elk heart in the field!

Think about bringing the heart home and giving it a try.  Maybe next time we'll talk about the liver!

Until then, keep your nose in the wind and your eyes on the skyline.
TC

Made Meat This Morning

Well, it's opening morning of muzzleloader season in Oklahoma. For years I passed up smaller bucks waiting for "The Big One" but 2 years ago I finally realized that doing that has left my family an empty freezer more often than not.  I now adhere to the old adage "never pass up on the first day what you would shoot on the last day", so this morning about 8:35 l made smoke and dropped this smaller 7 point.

The old .54 flinter did it again.  I hope to put about 3 more deer in the freezer this year.  Good unadulterated meat, not that poison stuff they sell in the store.
Hope you all have a great hunting season.
Watch yer top knot.
TC

Winter With The Crow

I want to share a couple of songs with you.  These songs are by Pete Kosky and if they don't tug at your very soul I figure you and me are cut from different cloth.
Enjoy and God Bless
TC

Winter With The Crow
https://youtu.be/a9171Ef4dLA

The Cordelle Line/Colter's Run
https://youtu.be/ajJfZkYoX1M

October 17th; A Very Special Day

I wanted to post this yesterday but didn't have time.

October 17th is a VERY special day! Yes, the American patriots won the battle of Saratoga on October 17th, 1777 and that is very important. But infinitely more important, on October 17th 1981 my Darling Sweetheart became my Darling Bride!  And what a blessing to me she has been for the last 36 years!  Four years after we were married she (along with our 3 year old daughter) went with me to Montana and Wyoming so that I could pack horses and mules and guide elk hunters.  She went with me to rendezvous and dove right in to a life of camping, hiking and distance running.  While not a hunter herself, she always supports me in my hunting addiction and cooks what I bring home.
She has given me two wonderful children, Bridget who has published three novels, is married and has given us two wonderful grandchildren, and Ben who is a Navy Gunner's Mate Veteran and now a civilian gunsmith.
What a woman!
Linda, thanks for putting up with this old mountain man!  I love you with all my heart and soul and I'm looking forward to the next 36 years!

Shooting The Leman Trade Rifle

I'm pretty happy with the way this rifle turned out. The lock is fast and it throws very good sparks. The gun balances well and feels trim in the hands.  It shoulders nicely and recoil,  even with a heavy load, is not bad.
This gun is for sale and I will have it on the table at the Tulsa gun show November 11th and 12th.  Also, I will try and get some close up pictures on the For Sale page in a few days.
TC

Leman Trade Rifle Finished

I finished building a full stock,  flint Leman Trade Rifle yesterday.  It has a .54 15/16 x 36 inch barrel and an L&R Late English lock.
It started out like this.

And ended up like this. 

I plan to shoot it in the next couple of days and I will post video of the first shots in a few days.  Also, I'll take more pictures and post them on the "For Sale" page.
Until then, watch yer top knot.
TC

Close To Heaven

Bob Nolan was with The Sons Of The Pioneers for many years. This is one of the songs he wrote.

Close to Heaven

(Bob Nolan)

Long, long ago I learned to love the rolling hills and open plains.

To me it’s heaven.

There, if the sun is shinin’ down or if the dark clouds send the rain,

It’s still like heaven.

Refrain:

Here comes the prairie sun. It’s morning!

I wake and give the world this warnin’,

I’m mighty glad that I was born in

A land that’s close to heaven.

All through the day the plains I’m roamin’.

My heart has nowhere to be homin’.

I make my camp at twilight’s gloamin’

And there I’m close to heaven.

There where the moonbeams spread a blanket o’er the ground,

I make a bed and lay this weary body down

And let sweet dreams come to console me,

The tender arms of nature ‘fold me

Against her heart to ever hold me and keep me close to heaven.

Of Brains And Blood

Well folks, I haven't brain tanned deer skins since about 1989 or 1990 but I've decided that it's time to get back to it!  Now brain tanning may be simple in theory but it sure ain't easy; it's HARD WORK! Now for those of you who don't know the process, it basically follows these steps; fleshing, dehairing and graining, braining, stretching and drying, and smoking.  Now fleshing is the same whether you dry scrape or wet scrape to remove the hair and grain.  So you flesh the fresh hide removing all remaining flesh, fat, etc.

Fleshing a hide

Then you have to dehair and grain.  Now the way I did it years ago in Wyoming is dry scraping where you lace and stretch the freshly fleshed hide into a frame and let it dry, then scrape off all the hair and grain which is the epidermal layer of skin.  With the wet scrape method you soak the fleshed hide in a mixture of water and wood ash or lye until the hair slips and then scrape all the hair and grain off while the hide is wet using the fleshing beam.  After dehairing and graining the hide it's time to brain which involves soaking the hide in a mixture of pureed brains (if no brains are available you can substitute a dozen eggs) and water.  Once the hide has soaked in the brains it needs to be stretched and worked over a post or pulled back and forth over a tight rope until the hide is COMPLETELY dry. The object is to keep the hide softened and stretched while it dries.  When the hide is done correctly it will be soft and white at this point.

What unsmoked brain tanned buckskin looks like

The final step is to smoke the hide to coat the fibers with the pitch in the smoke which will have the effect of keeping the hide supple once it gets wet and dries out.  If it's not smoked it will turn back into rawhide when it gets wet and then dries out.  The color of the smoked hide depends on what type of wood is used to smoke it.

What smoked brain tanned buckskin looks like

So this past week I tanned a hide using the wet scrape method for the first time.  It did NOT work well for me!  The hide did not turn out well at all.  I've decided that I will just go back to the dry scrape method from now on.  I will keep you updated on the hide tanning.

Now, I've told you all of that so I can tell you this.  Last Sunday at Lahoma Baptist Church, Pastor Brent was preaching on 2 Corinthians 5, verses 17-21.  Verse 17 says "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."  Now me being who (and what) I am, my mind immediately went to brain tanning buckskin!  So at this point you are probably saying "what the heck does brain tanning buckskin have to do with that scripture, Turkey Creek?"  Well, I'm about to tell you!

You see, when you turn your life over to Christ, what's the first thing He has to do?  He has to scrape all that stinking, nasty, worldly flesh off of you!  You know; all that stuff you did that was against God! ( I won't go into what that is here but if you really want to know, read Romans 1 starting with verse 18!).  He then has to take off that worldly coat of hair that you were wearing that made you look just like all the people that are still living in the flesh.  Then comes the best part!  He washes you in the Blood (just like you wash the deer skin in the brains) and you come out looking all white and fresh and clean just like the unsmoked brain tanned buckskin!  Remember that picture above of the unsmoked skin?  That's what Christ did on the cross; he washed us white as snow!  Then finally he smokes us in the Holy Spirit to make us usable so that we can take the Gospel into all the world!

So folks, that's what was going through my mind as Pastor Brent was giving his message, and a very good message it was!

If anyone wants to know more about being "Blood tanned" by Christ, please feel free to shoot me an email at turkeycreek1823@gmail.com. I would be glad to visit with you about it.

Well, that's about it from the old mountaineer's camp on Turkey Creek in the Year Of Our Lord Eighteen Hundred and Twenty Three.

Until next time, keep yer nose in the wind and yer eyes on the skyline!

TC

The Mud Walled Trading Fort On The Arkansas

The two trappers were cold but not too bad as they pushed on down the Arkansas River that afternoon in the early winter of 1834. They had made their fall hunt in the Bayou Salade and had several packs of prime beaver riding on the pack horses. Beating the heavy snow, they had come over the passes east of the Bayou and had ridden south by east until hitting the Arkansas.  Clive and his partner, Smitty had heard last summer at rendezvous on Ham's Fork of the Green that there was a new trading fort on the Arkansas not too far from the mountains east of the Bayou.  They had heard that the Bent brothers and their partner, Ceran St. Vrain had built the mud walled post to trade for furs and robes and that is where the pair were bound for, to trade their plews for some powder, tobacco and coffee; and maybe a little whiskey too...THERE! Down there on the prairie not too far from the river! There it was, shining in the afternoon sun by golly and it sure was a big thing to look at! Yessir, Clive and Smitty would have themselves a spree this night, you can lay your traps to that!

It had been years since Linda and I had been to Bent's Fort; 27 years to be exact. Too long for this old mountaineer!  We had decided to wait until next year to head back to Wyoming but we both felt the need to get away for a few days so a little road trip was planned.  We loaded the pack animals and saddled up (well actually we loaded up the little orange Hummer but my mind was back in the early eighteen hundreds so I'll stick with saddle and pack stock if that's okay with you) and headed up through the Panhandle and into southeastern Colorado to La Junta for the first night out.  We were excited and ready the next morning as we headed out of town the few miles to Bent's Old Fort which is maintained by the National Park Service.  I had figured on spending a couple of hours there which turned into over 3 hours!

Bent's Fort was built in 1833 by brothers William and Charles Bent and their partner Ceran St. Vrain. It was situated on what was known as the "mountain route" of the Santa Fe Trail along the north bank of the Arkansas River and the partners were in business to trade for furs and buffalo robes, especially with the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes but also with travelers on the Santa Fe Trail and with the mountaineers that trapped the southern Rockies.  At the fort, Clive and Smitty could trade for just about anything they could need; powder and lead, coffee and tobacco, blankets, shirts and pants, beads and trinkets, even guns and beaver traps.  It was a well stocked trade room that was kept at the fort.

As well as trade goods, the fort also offered a complete blacksmith shop and carpenter shop for the manufacture or repair of anything that might be needed.  There were even a few rooms where a mountaineer could spread his robes for the night if  he could stand to be closed up in walls and roof instead of under the stars where he usually spent his nights.

All too soon we had to leave.  We could have spent another couple of hours there for sure!  We wanted to take the hiking trail down along the river but, alas, we had to get on over North Laveta Pass and down the Rio Grande to Taos where we had a reservation for the night at the Old Taos Guest House.

A short evening in Taos with enough time to go out and eat and then walk around the old town square and then a nine hour trip home the next day left us with the desire to go back to Taos and take in the Kit Carson Museum and the Taos Pueblo as well as any other historical sights in the area.  I also want to head to Glorieta, NM and see if we can tour Jeff Hengesbaugh's museum.  So Linda and I definitely see another trip that direction in the future.

If you can make it to S.E. Colorado to Bent's Old Fort, it is well worth the trip.  Allow PLENTY of time to tour the fort and the surrounding grounds and have a BIG memory card in your camera!

Also, if you make it to Taos we highly recommend the Old Taos Guest House Bed and Breakfast; a very quaint, off the main road inn with friendly owners and comfortable accommodations. 

It was a short but memorable three day road trip that we both enjoyed tremendously.  One final note; if you happen to pass through Angel Fire, NM, there is a Veteran's Memorial there right off the highway that I would urge you all to visit.  A very moving experience!

Until we meet farther down the trail, adios and watch your back trail!

Turkey Creek

1996 Western National Rendezvous

Well, my wife tells me that on Facebook it is Throwback Thursday so I'm throwin' back to 1996. Back to July of '96 to the Original Western National Rendezvous!
In 1990 and again in 1996 the Western National Rendezvous was held just below Powder River Pass in the magnificent Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming!  God's Country for sure! Just below 9,000 feet in a high country park on the headwaters of the North Fork of Powder River, it was a most beautiful setting for such doin's and the weather was gorgeous as well.
So, for this Throwback Thursday I'm going to throw back to my family enjoying this great event!
I hope y'all enjoy this little trip back in time!  It sure set me to thinkin' maybe it's about time I head for rondyvoo fer sure and fer certain!
Until we make camp again, watch yer topknot!
Turkey Creek

Yours Truly with my gorgeous squaw woman!

Me with my daughter, Bridget, and my son, Ben.

My Darling Linda.

Bridget with Ty Peterson, son of our good friends Gary and Patty Peterson.

Bridget and Ben on Traders' Row.

Linda on another day at rendezvous. Notice how even at rendezvous a woman can't wear the same outfit as she wore the day before cuz another woman might notice it.

The Little Buckskinner!

The next three photos show a larg portion of the camps (not all of them) from left to right.  Pretty good size bunch of buckskinners gathered for this one!