Grand Portage 2015

This last week, our family made the yearly pilgrimage to Grand Portage National Monument (my old place of employment) for their annual fur trade reenactment.  I have not attended a public reenactment since this event last year, but our children have been talking about going for months.  Following is a list of highlights from the event in short form as well as some photos. – The children played, played, played with...

What I have been up to

As those that follow my blog know, it has been awhile since I posted and, in general, I am taking a break from most of my reenacting stuff.  This does not mean that I have not been busy.  Beyond all the normal craziness of life, animals, kids, work, etc.; I have also been messing around a lot more with Highland dress/attire.   In 1998, I studied a semester in Scotland.  While there, I bought a kilt and some accessories....

Bison Robes – warmth and beauty

In a few posts, I have highlighted bison robes that I have painted (one, two, three).  I have decided that it might be nice to show a bit more information, or at least some images, of original robes.   As I have mentioned in the past, bison were here in Wisconsin historically, and both natives and canadiens here in Wisconsin were using bison hides for bedding and warmth.  Looking a little further south, a friend posted a...

More buffalo robe painting

And I am painting again.  A bit over a year ago, I received the gift of a raw bison hide from my friends Chris and Carol Cheney.  Chris had recently returned from Ft. Belknap, MT and had been bison hunting again.   Having, over the years, shot somewhere over a dozen bison, I had mentioned that if he was full on robes, I would be happy to take a hide off his hands.   I fleshed and dried the hide.  I then used the the back 1/3...

What they had: some reflections

While taking a “break from reenacting” yet still engaging myself fully in the history I love, I have been thinking about a lot of things.  Many of these deal with reenactments,  reenactors, reenacting, and life in general.  After much thought and reflection, I feel that there is something worthy of sharing and perhaps further discussing with those who care to take up this discussion. In the “reenacting...

New headwear, playing with some ideas

I am still kicking.  Although I have been focusing more of my life on other items lately, I have not fully abandoned the history I love or this website.  To prove this, I will post this little blog on something I have been messing with lately. As many of you know, I am fond of my Scottish heritage and have an interest in Scottish connections to the fur trade.  In a past post, I gave some information on the use of Scots...