Bookmarks to Source Documents

These bookmarks link to interesting passages in several of the on-line source documents (only Ferris and Sage bookmarked so far). These references may be of use to those who participate in living history activities, for the purpose of documenting particular items, activities, or other aspects of everyday life in the west. Note that in general, the entire document has to download before your browser will position the document with the relevant passage at the top of your screen, so be patient if you are using a dial-up modem.

Clothing, Appearance, Character

[FERRIS 8]Thorns in moccasins a problem.
[FERRIS 15]Description of free trappers
[FERRIS 29]Says moccasins were universally worn, prickly pear spines pierce the best of moccasins.
[FERRIS 57]The most popular trade item with the Indians was cut glass beads, that the women liked to decorate their dresses with.
[FERRIS 81] Says ten languages spoken in camp, French most common among the men, Flathead among the women.
[FERRIS 82] Estimate of the number of mountain men in the west, and description of their jobs.
[FERRIS 83] Description of women’s dress.
[FERRIS 84]Description of hunter’s dress
[FERRIS 85] Mountain men’s countries of origin
[FERRIS 86] More description of Indian dress
[SAGE3]Description of character & dress of Mountaineer
[SAGE4]Description of Mexican traders
[SAGE13]Coyote good fur for caps, muffs; etc.
[SAGE18]Description of moccasin making
[SAGE20]Fur hats (note: they were wearing “dead animals” on their heads…)
[FERRIS 42]Mentions that several catholic comrades conscientiously observed Lent, but only, in Ferris's opinion, because they feasted the day before. Says they are not usually so pious.
[FERRIS 73]Describes universal sign language among Indians.

Food, Game, Cooking

[FERRIS 1]Mentions provisions of cornbread and bacon while on their way to the mountains
[FERRIS 2] Describes eating boiled pork and corn before they reach buffalo country. Messes of 7-8 men.
[FERRIS 6]Eating buffalo after several days of only boiled corn
[FERRIS 7]No wood on the plains, using buffalo chips for fire - food tastes better!
[FERRIS 16]Describes quality of buffalo meat, says that lately they have been eating it exclusively, without bread or vegetables
[FERRIS 19]Describes carrying water in beaver skins
[FERRIS 24]Describes preparation of camas
[FERRIS 27]Tells about grave dug with ax and frying pan (no shovel?)
[FERRIS 32]Winter of 31-32 - frequently had a large kettle of coffee and cakes.
[FERRIS 35]Says trappers gather a great number of goose eggs in the spring.
[FERRIS 39]Mentions a tolerable supper from a grey wolf
[FERRIS 41]Mention of moose in the Deerlodge country
[FERRIS 50]As much salt as one could carry available from deposits near Salt River
[FERRIS 51]Mentions finding plenty of wild onions and a species of lettuce.
[FERRIS 55]Arrives at Flathead village to trade, speaks of his party "pitching their lodge". The indians gave them a present of fruit, consisting of "Whortle, Service, Hawthorn, and White berries".
[FERRIS 56]Describes preparation of bitterroot - says it tastes terrible.
[FERRIS 61]winter 33-34 as trader for HBC. Had plenty of dried buffalo, venison, wheat flour cakes, marrow, sugar, coffee, rum. Says they used tin cup.
[FERRIS 62]Common Meal during winter quarters: Says that normally they eat only boiled venison, with buffalo fat. Sundays they have a dumpling made of minced meat, rolled in dough, and fried in buffalo marrow.
[FERRIS 70]Says meat of lynx the best he has tasted except for female bison, much better than deer.
[FERRIS 77]Food sources of San-pitch indians - bugs, roots, pine nuts, acorns, berries, inner bark of pine, rodents, fish.
[FERRIS 78]Gathering salt
[SAGE8]Gathering honey - filling every pan, kettle, pail & keg
[SAGE9]Antelope hunting techniques
[SAGE10]How to butcher buffalo
[SAGE11]Cooking techniques: use of kettles, frying pans, roasting sticks.
[SAGE12]Tips on shooting buffalo
[SAGE19]Mention of a dutch oven?
[SAGE17]Pemmican recipes
[SAGE14]Method of making jerky & preserving fresh meat
[SAGE22]Turkey hunting methods
[SAGE32] Feasting on crow's eggs in mid June
[SAGE37]No coons in Rky Mts, did see one on plains (rare)

Tools, weapons

[FERRIS 5]A man burned by the accidental explosion of his powderhorn
[FERRIS 25]Mentions trapper carrying fusil across saddle
[FERRIS 26]Mentions use of tent, and axes (rather than tomahawk).
[FERRIS 27]Tells about grave dug with ax and frying pan (no shovel?) and burying man in scarlet cloth.
[FERRIS 33]Gray used a pen knife to cut bullrushes. He bound them into 3 bundles and fastened them together with willows to make a crude raft.
[FERRIS 34]Says the pen knife is rare in this country because it is not often big enough to be useful.
[FERRIS 52]Ferris visited the scene at the battle of Pierre's Hole a year later. Said the trees were riddled with bullets, but the lead had been dug out with axes by mt. men to be re-cast.
[FERRIS 65]Says they had fusils, brought in specifically for the Indian trade. Says they are light guns, used by Americans only for running buffalo.
[FERRIS 79]Describes san-pitch indian arrows and their construction.
[FERRIS 88] Describes construction of indian bows and arrows
[SAGE7]Making gunsticks from hickory
[SAGE31] Sage’s rifle was caplock

Camp Routine

[FERRIS 2] Describes camp while on their way to the mountains - made in square with tents in corners and sides, baggage in between, animals staked to the ground in the middle.
[FERRIS 3] Guard stood all night, two hour watches.
[FERRIS 8]Punishment for sleeping on guard was being made to walk.
[FERRIS 14]Detailed description of making a cache
[FERRIS 26]Mentions use of tent, and axes (rather than tomahawk).
[FERRIS 28]Another mention of use of tents (apparently not unusual)
[FERRIS 32]Winter of 31-32 - after arrival of supplies in fall they prepared for the winter by making lodges, buying dried meat, robes, and appishimores (square pieces of robes, used under saddle & bed) from the indians.
[FERRIS 37]Describes stretching beaver skins on willow hoops.
[FERRIS 36] Bed of "the white clay" at Soda Springs possess the cleansing properties of soap and is used by indians and hunters alike.
[FERRIS 40]Made a "pen" of dry poles, covered with branches of balsam fir, to shelter themselves from storms.
[FERRIS 44]Says they normally construct "cabins" but didn't because it was late. They made shelters the next night because it snowed.
[FERRIS 45]Says they spent poor weather playing cards and telling stories punctuated with "profane swearing"
[FERRIS 47]Camp description - shooting contest, horse race, mending clothes, cooking etc.
[FERRIS 48]Describes Bonneville’s winter quarters including log cabins at Salmon river.
[FERRIS 49]New Years was spend feasting drinking, dancing. Spent Jan. riding, shooting, wrestling, card playing.
[FERRIS 51]Speaks of constructing little "cabins" out of their blankets to keep the rain off.
[FERRIS 54]Describes how Indians have dammed up hot springs to make baths, and that they are often in them soaking.
[FERRIS 61]winter 33-34 as trader for HBC. Made log cabin.
[FERRIS 63]Cabin has roof of closely spaced poles, covered with grass, then a layer of earth.
[FERRIS 64]Cabin chinked with clay, chimney of sticks and mud, windows covered with thin skins. Floor of hewn slabs.
[FERRIS 66]On Jan 31, while enroute to Flathead house for a short errand, Ferris describes their bivouac. They cleared away the snow, made beds of balsam-fir branches, and made a fire. They dried their moccasins, ate dried meat, and went to sleep with their two blankets - as the night was pleasant, they stayed warm.
[FERRIS 67] Had trouble building a fire on rainy day, but succeeded using splinters of pitchy pine.
[FERRIS 80] Winter lodge and camp described in some detail. Says there were log houses where they were wintering, used by Taos trappers, but he preferred a lodge.
[SAGE1]Documentation for small pyramid-shaped tent
[SAGE2]Description of a bed of a mountaineer
[SAGE21]Description of leather cleaning using white clay
[SAGE29] Activities in winter quarters
[SAGE30] Use of saddle as pillow usual
[SAGE33]Sleeping late a habit
[SAGE34] Forming a pencil from a bullet
[SAGE35]Description of brain tanning
[SAGE36]Description of winter camp
[FERRIS 11]Describes Cheyenne tipi.
[FERRIS 23]Indian games of hand, bones, and roulette described
[SAGE16]Description of Indian lodges
[FERRIS 43] Describes pipestone.

Horses & other modes of travel

[FERRIS 4]Describes crupper, hobbling forelegs, carrying guns in front across saddles.
[FERRIS 10]Mentions making a horse pen - for their cattle. "Cattle" is an old term for domestic livestock in general.
[FERRIS 12]Use of “bull-hide canoes”
[FERRIS 71]describes indian method of lassoing, which he calls "leashing".
[FERRIS 72]Indian method of wrapping possessions in lodge into a floating ball to cross river.
[FERRIS 60]Description of light indian "bark" canoes.
[FERRIS 58]Mentions a party trapping on the Snake River in canoes.
[FERRIS 68]On a trip on foot of several days between his cabin and Flathead house, Ferris states he carried his gun, blankets, pair of extra mocs, flint & steel, a hatchet, and snowshoes. He found a "comfortable bush cabin"??? to spend the night in.
[FERRIS 75]Describes the practice of bleeding horses, for their health.
[SAGE5]Description of Spanish saddles
[SAGE6]Use of pickets to tie stock
[SAGE26]Advice for overland parties
[SAGE39]Description of bullboat construction and crossing

Health, Safety

[FERRIS 18]Description of naming of Cache Valley - man buried in collapsed cache.
[FERRIS 20]The naming of Malade river - the poison beaver story.
[FERRIS 76]Story of rabid wolf at rendezvous.
[FERRIS 38]describes travois, used as a litter
[FERRIS 87] Description of sweat lodge
[FERRIS 5]A man burned by the accidental explosion of his powderhorn
[FERRIS 27]Tells about grave dug with ax and frying pan (no shovel?) and burying man in scarlet cloth.
[SAGE38]Snake bite remedy
[FERRIS 46]A wound probed with a gun stick and dressed with a homemade salve, healed rapidly.

Geography

[FERRIS 13]Naming of Sweetwater River
[FERRIS 17]Description of Bear Lake and route through Blacksmith Fork (via Curtis Creek or Rock Creek?) to Cache Valley
[FERRIS 18]Description of naming of Cache Valley
[FERRIS 20]The naming of Malade river
[FERRIS 21]Winter quarters of American Fur Co and Fraeb and Gervais '30-31 in Cache valley and Salt Lake Valley.
[FERRIS 22]Story of first circumnavigation of Great Salt Lake
[FERRIS 74]Describes side trip to Yellowstone to see the geysers
[FERRIS 69]Describes Flathead House, consists of 7 hewn log buildings.
[SAGE15]Description of Ft. Platte
[SAGE23]Information regarding Robidoux's Ft Uintah
[SAGE24]Further info on Ft Uintah
[SAGE25] Description of Ft Hall
[FERRIS 53]Detailed description of Ft Nonsense

Historic Events

[SAGE28] Documentation on death of Frapp
[FERRIS 30]Fitzpatrick’s winter return to St Louis.
[FERRIS 31]Death of Jed Smith
[SAGE27]Story about Fort Hall