The Long Hunter's Journal
The newsletter for the Utah ALRA
Grant Davis, Lieutenant
James Chandler, Sergeant-at-arms
Rex Ward, Scribe
August 2004
Lieutenant's Message:
I want to thank those who responded to my e-mail requests regarding meetings. I want you to know that I am not discouraged; I just want to make sure I plan worthwhile meetings that people will want to attend. The majority of responses basically said that life gets to busy. I did however get some good feed back that will help in planning future gatherings. I am looking forward to seeing many of you at Fort Bridger and I hope you will join us for the potluck Saturday night. I hope to get photos of those of you that I have not added to the webpage and hope the forewarning won't make you avoid me! Also, please bring any items for the members craft page so I can photograph them. I know many of you have things your working on like Marsha's mits and ranger uniform, Sue Stones knitted socks, Trent's rifle, and James horns (sorry James that I missed photographing your horn at the August meeting).
August Meeting Report:
Well, Rex, our Scribe, has gone missing. I think he succumbed to Tooelemia, which is characterized by hallucinations involving battles between grasshoppers and Mormon crickets for the control of Tooele County. Accordingly, the Lieutenant either wittingly or half-wittingly called this humble scribe, ol' Capt. Matt, out of retirement to write up the minutes. Had Capt Matt known that he would have been called upon to do so, he would have taken copious notes and stayed awake. Well, I'll sharpen my goose quill and proceed. The Lieutenant and his Lady, Miss Kim, hosted the meeting in their backyard. The Lt. did a marvelous job of cleaning up canine landmines. When I walked through the gate, I thought I wuz in the Ozarks and the folks were cooking up a batch of yew know what. There were fires going everywhere with pots a bubblin' away. Dutch ovens were also there in abundance. The Lt. had set up a pavillion in the back yard, and I temporarily thought someone was gettin' married. That wasn't the case. It sheltered a table with various natural dyes and materials to be dyed. The ALRA membes and their ladies started to arrive. Many had brought along materials to be dyed. The Sue Stone gave an excellent presentation on natural dyeing, showing us some of the dye materials, handing out instruction sheets in natural dyeing, and demonstrating the process with wool, linen, and cotton. They also had a number of the books on natural dyeing. Then the members had a chance to dye in walnut, osage orange, logwood, madder and I'm not sure what else. The long hunters headed straight for the walnut dye batch. Steve Gish did a breech cloth in logwood, and it came out a really passionate purple. I don't recall anyone using the indigo dye as that's a more complex process. I would have dyed my scivvies longhunter brown, but the color is too much like the ones the army issued in Vietnam. Kim Davis whipped up a great brunch with a main course of eggs, ham, potatoes and cheese and a dessert of cimonum buns. Fresh fruit and beverages completed a tasty meal which the guest shamelessly devoured. Croydon Davis made a guest appearance for us. James Chandler provided wisdom for the occasion (yeah). Trent Isaacson and his lady, Kevin Mollett and his lady, Rex and Marsha Ward all graced us with their presence. Some of the members brought along craft items they had completed--James had a neat powder horn while the Lt. showed us a variety of quality leather work. I thought it was a great meeting as it touched upon things a little out of the ordinary and it de-mystified the process of dyeing, the use of mordants etc. We should definitely do this again some day. YHS, Capt. Matt, Scribe Emeritus.
Fort Bridger Flag Raising:
We have been asked by the Fort Bridger Rendezvous Association to raise the flag on Saturday morning. The flag will need to go up at 8a.m. We will have a practice Friday night in quiet camp #2. PLEASE come out and help so we can have a good showing for the Bridger crowd.
Fort Bridger Pot Luck:
The annual Fort Bridger Rendezvous gathering of the ALRA will be held on Saturday, September 4 at 6:00 p.m. It will be held in quiet camp #2 where many of you will be staying. If you need more information or more specific directions, please stop by the Lieutenant's camp, which will be directly north of the guardhouse in spots 86, 87, & 90, 91. For those of you that are new and don't know the drill, please bring an 18th-century dish to share, as well as your personal eating utensils and beverage. We will try to have a musician or musicians there for our entertainment. If there are any that have avoided the pot luck in years past due to not having the resources available to make a potluck item, I would like to offer that you may pay a small sum towards the ham purchased by the club. This way you may attend the potluck guilt free. This in no way excuses any of the rest of you from cooking cuz I want sumthin more than ham! -Grant
Fort Buenaventura Service Project:
From Brock: It appears we will be doing another fall feast sometime in October, but no date set yet. We'll make it open to camping if anyone would like to spend the night. We hope to have some contra dancing this year as well. As for service projects, we're building a stockade for livestock in the area where you did fire demonstrations over Pioneer Day. As part of that effort, we'll be putting up pickets on the stockade wall, so that might be something the boys would feel good about volunteering for. We'll probably be doing that soon after Bridger. As for other service projects, we're also working on building a pit-sawing demonstration, and that could require some help. That project could happen anytime. What if we combined a work project day with the feast and campout? I guess we'll talk to the boys at Bridger, and make a plan then.
From the Primary Sources:
"…The first body in Gabarus bay must carry nothing in the boats but their arms and ammunition, with bread and cheese in their pockets for two days. … no man [shall] fire his piece from out of the boat. There have been examples of men fixing their bayonets in boats, but the practice is so absurd, that it seems hardly necessary to forbid it: bayonets are fixed in a moment after the men are landed…" (The Journal of Captain John Knox, pp. 177-178; extracts from the orders published by Admiral Boscawen, dated Halifax harbour, 21 May 1758).
"This being the anniversary of his Majesty's accession, the colours were hoisted at break of day; at noon twenty-one guns were discharged from the ramparts, which were answered by three good volleys from a detachment of the garrison. The new guards are out at exercise every morning; the Officers, for their instruction and amusement fall into ranks as privates, and practice all the evolutions and firings" (ibid., p. 181).
"Our soldiers are now most seasonably relieved by fish and vegetables, which they much wanted, having contracted scorbutic disorders, in consequence of their continual salt diet. …when we are not so fortunate as to take fish, we are reduced to eat salt beef and pork from the stores; a circumstance much more disagreeable in summer than in winter. …all hands are now employed in cutting and saving hay, against the arrival of cattle from New-England, for the ensuing winter. … The orchards abound with apples, pears, cherries, currants, and some raspberries; …nothing can equal the beauty and fragrance of the forests at this season, where there are strawberries and other spontaneous fruits in great plenty;…" (ibid., pp. 181, 183; entries for 6, 12, and 24 July 1758).