WOODFORD - "Fill your powder horn, grub box and point your horse toward Historical Black Hawk Memorial Park."
So says the announcement for the 27th annual Bloody Lake Rendezvous hosted by Yellowstone Flint & Cap, Inc., April 29-May 4.
Buck skinners (campers) will take part in tomahawk throws, primitive bow shoots and shooting contests using muzzle-loading weaponry. The many games and friendly competitive events are reminiscent of the early American period 1750-1840.
Primitive kitchen arrangements will offer such delicacies as fry bread garnished with sugar, fruit or cheese. Other vendors will have muzzle-loading weaponry, leather goods and various period arts and crafts for sale.
Co-"Booshway" Mike Parks, will ensure everything goes smoothly throughout the event. Booshway is a French derivative referring to the main fur buyers (bourgeoisie) who crisscrossed the frontier to trade with Caucasians and Native Americans.
The rendezvous was a cultural and social event as well as a means to bring trappers in for bartering purposes, Parks explained. The gatherings usually occurred in the spring after waterways had opened and trappers were eager to shake off the effects of isolation during the long winter and replenish their cache of supplies for the next year.
Indian tribes would take part in the events as well. Eager to trade pelts for tools, weapons and other trappings of the white man's world, both they and their occasional adversaries would agree to forego any hostilities for the event. The encampment location became a "safe area," Parks said.
YFC members have been busy marking out trails and practicing their skills for the upcoming event. Neale Tollakson of Argyle has checked out the woods walk, a shooting contest that not only challenges marksmanship skills but also demands an acute awareness of ones surroundings.
The organizers ensure that life-threatening obstacles will appear in the most unlikely locations along the route.
"I didn't see the (rubber) snake," Tollakson said with a chuckle.
Scribe Shirley Canon of Argyle takes care of the many administrative and financial responsibilities that accompany the event. She has been a Yellowstone Flint and Cap member for 24 years; this is her third year as scribe.
Scribe Shirley sees the rendezvous as an experience the whole family can enjoy.
"Our kids have grown up with it," she said.
She anticipates as many as 250 camps will be set up with more than 500 total participants (not counting weekend visitors) involved.
Dennis Mason of Argyle will provide mounts for members of the 2nd U.S. dragoons (cavalry) who will patrol the grounds. The dragoons were stationed at Fort Dodge, Iowa, and served as the westernmost outpost of the U.S. military prior to the Civil War, Mason said.
Visitors are invited to visit the rendezvous site Sat. from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sun. from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The spectator entry fee is $2; kids 10 and under admitted free. No pets are allowed with visitors.
Black Hawk Memorial Park is located one mile west of Woodford on County Y. For more information, contact Co-Booshway Mike Parks at (608) 744-2948, Co-Booshway Jack Oostdik at (608) 329-4117 or Scribe Shirley Canon at (608) 543-9179.
So says the announcement for the 27th annual Bloody Lake Rendezvous hosted by Yellowstone Flint & Cap, Inc., April 29-May 4.
Buck skinners (campers) will take part in tomahawk throws, primitive bow shoots and shooting contests using muzzle-loading weaponry. The many games and friendly competitive events are reminiscent of the early American period 1750-1840.
Primitive kitchen arrangements will offer such delicacies as fry bread garnished with sugar, fruit or cheese. Other vendors will have muzzle-loading weaponry, leather goods and various period arts and crafts for sale.
Co-"Booshway" Mike Parks, will ensure everything goes smoothly throughout the event. Booshway is a French derivative referring to the main fur buyers (bourgeoisie) who crisscrossed the frontier to trade with Caucasians and Native Americans.
The rendezvous was a cultural and social event as well as a means to bring trappers in for bartering purposes, Parks explained. The gatherings usually occurred in the spring after waterways had opened and trappers were eager to shake off the effects of isolation during the long winter and replenish their cache of supplies for the next year.
Indian tribes would take part in the events as well. Eager to trade pelts for tools, weapons and other trappings of the white man's world, both they and their occasional adversaries would agree to forego any hostilities for the event. The encampment location became a "safe area," Parks said.
YFC members have been busy marking out trails and practicing their skills for the upcoming event. Neale Tollakson of Argyle has checked out the woods walk, a shooting contest that not only challenges marksmanship skills but also demands an acute awareness of ones surroundings.
The organizers ensure that life-threatening obstacles will appear in the most unlikely locations along the route.
"I didn't see the (rubber) snake," Tollakson said with a chuckle.
Scribe Shirley Canon of Argyle takes care of the many administrative and financial responsibilities that accompany the event. She has been a Yellowstone Flint and Cap member for 24 years; this is her third year as scribe.
Scribe Shirley sees the rendezvous as an experience the whole family can enjoy.
"Our kids have grown up with it," she said.
She anticipates as many as 250 camps will be set up with more than 500 total participants (not counting weekend visitors) involved.
Dennis Mason of Argyle will provide mounts for members of the 2nd U.S. dragoons (cavalry) who will patrol the grounds. The dragoons were stationed at Fort Dodge, Iowa, and served as the westernmost outpost of the U.S. military prior to the Civil War, Mason said.
Visitors are invited to visit the rendezvous site Sat. from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sun. from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The spectator entry fee is $2; kids 10 and under admitted free. No pets are allowed with visitors.
Black Hawk Memorial Park is located one mile west of Woodford on County Y. For more information, contact Co-Booshway Mike Parks at (608) 744-2948, Co-Booshway Jack Oostdik at (608) 329-4117 or Scribe Shirley Canon at (608) 543-9179.