WOODFORD — All over Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana students of American history before 1840 are checking their pack lists for an annual trip to pre-1840 Wisconsin and the Bloody Lake Rendezvous. Participants prepare to live six days in primitive shelters like canvas tents, and Teepee’s, cook over open fires, and engage in conversation and friendly competition with folks they haven’t seen for a year.
There will be black powder shooting, primitive archery, knife and tomahawk throwing, pie baking contest, music and backwoods style hospitality to be enjoyed in a quiet spot out of the way near Woodford. The Bloody Lake Rendezvous takes place each year in a section of Blackhawk Memorial County Park that is leased and managed by Yellowstone Flint and Cap, Inc., a black powder club that hosts the event. The date is the first full weekend in May, which usually precedes farm work, and insects, and ensures music from the cranes, geese and other birds that make the river their temporary home. The park itself is a historic site — location of The Battle of Bloody Lake during the Black Hawk War.
Participants dress in clothing appropriate for people from 1600 to 1840, and all equipment is also of that time period. When its chilly, wood stoves warm the tents, and the log cabin in the park keeps a fire going. The most magical hour is twilight when campfire smoke hovers above the camps and the only lighting is candle lanterns and campfires, and the sounds of crickets and frogs near the river is augmented by music around the campfires.
The public can get a taste of the experience on Friday, Saturday and Sunday May 5-7. Friday, May 5 is for school students (home schooled also) to visit the site with their teachers, free of charge. There is a presentation on the history of the park and battle site and the participants provide demonstrations of primitive arts, crafts and skills. There are food vendors and plenty of room for picnic lunching. The public can visit Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. There is a $2 spectator fee but children 12 and under, boy or girl scouts in uniform and military members with ID are free. Spectators are not allowed to bring pets into the encampment. Visiting this living history event is a good way to see if people are interested in participating as historical re-enactors. Anyone interested in more information on this event or Yellowstone Flint and Cap is encouraged to visit their Facebook page: Yellowstone Flint & Cap Club.
