Mountain Men and Life in the Rocky

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Malachite’s Big Hole

Interesting Links to Other Sites:

This isn’t intended to be a comprehensive list of sites, just those that I’ve found useful and interesting.  I've divided these links into the following broad categories.  

Historical Information
Skills, Crafts, Designs and Plans
Forums
Organizations, Museums and Sites
Traders and Sutlers
Miscellaneous Links of Interest

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Historical Information:  

Reader's Guide to The Mountain Men of the American West:  A really great list of Mountain Man related references split by catagory.  
Denver Public Library Western History Photo Collection:  A searchable online collection of photographs dating back to about the time of the Civil War.
American Journeys:  This site contains approximately 18,000 pages of letters, journals, diaries and other documents regarding the exploration of North America.
Museum of the Mountain Man   Online museum.  
Mountain Men and the Fur Trade
Mountain Man-Indian-Canadian Fur Trade
Northwest Journal.  An outstanding site with information generally focused towards the voyageurs of Canada, the Hudson's Bay Company and the Northwest Company.  
Over Land Trail – More about the mountain men and a plethora of information about posts forts and the 1800’s
Historical Maps of North America and the U.S.
Turning Points in Wisconsin History - maps, documents and articles about the fur trade in French and English Wisconsin.

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Skills, Crafts, Designs and Plans

Brain Tanning

Shaving with a Straight Razor and Classic Shaving.  And also here. A skill every male should develop for starting the day around camp.  

Crooked Tree Farm  This site provides a series of sublinks to sites with how-to information and plans for shelters, clothing, sewing, accoutrements and tools, woods skills and others, generally oriented to the 18th Century. The quality of the sublinks is varies: most are excellent, however a few are rather indifferent.  If you are interested in doing things yourself, you will find something of interest here.   

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Forums

Frontier Folk
Historical Trekking


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Organizations, Museums and Historical Sites

The Museum of the Fur Trade
Museum of the Mountain Man
Fort Union Association
Bent's Old Fort
Colonial Williamsburg
South Platte Valley Historical Society - Focused on the South Platte Valley, primarily Fort Lupton, but including Fort St. Vrain, Fort Jackson, and Fort Vasquez.  The historic site of Fort Lupton now includes a visitor center,  The fort is in the process of being reconstructed, and three major rendezvous are held on the site annually.
North America’s First Hospital  The story of North America’s and Montreal’s first hospital.

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Traders and Sutlers: There are hundreds of suppliers of period trade goods, guns, shoes, clothing, to meet all of your reenacting needs.  This list is not meant as an endorsement of the suppliers shown, it is merely intended to be be a representative subset of the types of suppliers out there.  Remember, in choosing your source of clothing or plunder, unless you’ve done your research, cheap isn’t necessarily going to be cheapest.  

Dixie Gunworks - General Supplies

Pecatonica River Long Rifles- I built a NW Trade Gun from one of their kits, I was pleased with the quality of the components and the fit of the parts.
Sitting Fox Custom Muzzleloaders-I built a NW Trade Pistol from this outfit.  Overall was quite pleased with the quality of the kit, however, the steel trigger guard was so thin that by the time I got the casting marks filed off, the guard was extremely thin.  I wound up replacing that part with an equivalent part from Track of the Wolf.  

Crazy Crow - General Supplies, large collection of beads

Jas. Townsend and Sons - General Supplies, and clothing 

Leather Unlimited - Hides, skins, furs, and leather, and leatherworking tools

Panther Primitives General Supplies, but specializing in Canvas Shelters

Shipman Guns - Collector quality, custom crafted flint locks

Swamp Fox Knives - Hand forged custom knives

Track of the Wolf - Black Powder Guns, Kits, Supplies and Acoutrements

Contemporary Long Rifle Association- An extensive inventory of antique and high quality reproduction goods.  A fun site to look through even if the goods don't fit your budget. 

Tremont Nail Company - Cut steel (square) nails for your period woodworking projects

J Adams Ltd.  Newly Made Period Correct Knives manufactured by one of the Sheffield knife manufacturers.  

 

Miscellaneous Links of Interest


Cap'n Ball's Old West  


 

 

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