Fort Union

This weekend we went to Ft. Union for a Rendezvous. We were able to see what life was like in the 1800 when Fur Trade was the way of life for many men.

When we were walking around we stumbled upon this poor frozen little critter. Can you guess why he was there?

He was the volunteer for a skinning demonstration.


This lady was very skilled with a homemade knife. She clean skinned this critter in no time flat.


Oh, man doesn't that look Gross? There were about 5 boys that thought this was so cool. they had a hundred questions. Oh and in case you were wondering no my son was not one of them . he couldn't wait to leave. I don't think he would have survived back then. No TV and no Game System.

Here she is showing us his foot. We also got to touch the tail and smell the oil.

This little guy was a brave, eager volunteer who also got to walk around and show everyone the foot.
Here is a cannon from up in the tower.

Anther shot of the cannon.



Here is my son trying to escape through the trap door.


This is the beautiful view of the river from the tower.

The inside of one of the Indian tipi's.

Here the cook is adding spices to the stew he was making. isn't that a huge cast iron pot?

These are some snapshots of the sleeping quarters that the people were staying in for the weekend. It looked fun. You can see the difference between he fur traders and the native peoples quarters.

These two gentelmen were entertaining the crowds with their musical talents. The man in the white was playing the fiddle and the other was playing the washboard.

He was very good at playing this instrument. He had awesome rhythm.

This is the fire place inside the meeting room.

Here is my son ever so excited to be standing in front of a Ti pi.


The next few pictures are of the two blacksmiths that were working on making things. This smithy was in training I think.

This is the more seasoned worker.

Here is a boat that would have been used to navigate the river.

They also had a potter doing demonstrations with is manual wheel. It was interesting to watch.

Incase you havent figured it out by now, I love history especially the 1800's when the land was wild and the wagon trains were crossing the prairies headed west. Sometimes I like to immagine what it would have been like to live during that time. It was a hard life that was only guided by the Lord. Where many people looked to him for guidance, safety and refuge.