The Mountain Men and the Fur Trappers Rendezvous

When looking for unique vacation ideas, a real trip into history is found at the several fur trapper rendezvous events held each year in the United States.For those wanting to learn more about the very early west and the fur trapping industry that led the westward advance, the fur rendezvous celebrations are an excellent place to start.

Before the military forts, before the roads and trails and before the settler, there was the mountain man of the American West.

green river valley wyomingOur western road trip takes us to the amazing Museum of the Mountain Man located in Pinedale Wyoming. The Museum of the Mountain Man is situated in an area that was historically important to the entire Rocky Mountain fur trading system. Pinedale Wyoming can be considered ground zero. During the early 1800’s, six separate rendezvous’ were held in the scenic Green River Valley (public domain photo above) which is near today’s Pinedale Wyoming. The museum might not be in a better locale than Pinedale.The Museum of the Mountain Man offers visitors a visual and interpretative experience. You will learn all about the fur traders, famous trappers of the era and a look at just how important the industry of collecting fur pelts was to the expansion of the American West.

Pinedale Wyoming and the Green River Valley lie in western Wyoming, about 100 miles south of Yellowstone National Park and about 60 south of the Teton National Forest. The Museum of the Mountain Man, operated by the Sublette County Historical Society, Inc, and is located at 700 E. Hennick in Pinedale. The museum is a gathering place of knowledge, artifacts and ongoing events that all tell the story of the rugged mountain men of the American West. It’s a very good addition to your family vacation planner.

Historians generally agree that Lewis and Clark, during their historic 1804-1806 exploration of the northwest, were not the first white men to traverse the region. It’s thought that before their arrival, fur trappers from Canada to the north came down to explore some of the very same sections of the route which Lewis and Clark took. Canadian fur traders and the mountain men searching for beaver were really the major explorers of the American northwest. One of the highlights of the Lewis and Clark journey of course were the detailed diaries that were written. It is from these diaries that we can know in quite detail what the journey was like and the dangers encountered. The Lewis and Clark diaries are a historical textbook that students use to this day.

jim bridger photoPerhaps the two most noted, and there were more, mountain men of the 1800’s were Jim Bridger (pictured left) and Kit Carson (pictured below right). Today, both men are memorialized by historic national sites. There is Fort Bridger in western Wyoming not far from Pinedale and there is the Kit Carson Home and Museum in Taos New Mexico. It was the early fur trappers and mountain men from the east who were the first to make contact with the Native Indian peoples of the northwest after the Spaniards had interfaced with the southern tribes.

The mountain men and fur trappers accomplished many things. They traded with the Indians although in some instances not entirely fairly. Regardless, the Indians seemed to prefer the fur traders over the military that would follow. Secondly, the fur traders established some new trails through the mountains in addition to those the Indians had made. Thirdly, the fur traders became invaluable assets as scouts when the military did arrive. Both Jim Bridger and Kit Carson served as scouts for the army. Bridger was involved in military expeditions in the northern plains during the Lakota Sioux troubles and Kit Carson, who at one time was an army officer himself was involved with Fremont in California as well as with Navajo campaigns in what is now New Mexico. The military value of these two men laid in the fact that they knew the trails, the streams and Indian habits and culture better than any military officer at the time. Another sometime attribute of the early fur traders were their diplomatic and political benefits The early traders in effect forged friendly alliances with the native tribes. Many of these adventurers were young single men and as a result they often times married into various Native American tribes.

kit carson photoThe western fur trading era began to die away in the late 1830’s, but during it’s heyday, the “rendezvous” was quite an event. The ‘rendezvous” was what the word implies. It was a large gathering of mountain, fur trappers and fur traders who congregated to sell their fur peltsI

Prior to the rendezvous days, a typical fur trapper would haul his pelts all the way back to perhaps St. Louis Missouri. At first, the trappers themselves transported these furs from the Rocky Mountains all the way back to St. Louis, Missouri, There they would be traded for supplies for the coming trapping season. Around 1825, the traders decided that there was a better and more economical way to bring their goods to market. They created the “Rendezvous” where they would congregate in the west for the exchanges. .This wasn’t a hard sell since most of these men much preferred staying in the wilderness than traveling to the big city. These annual summer gatherings were quite successful during their day.

The legend lives on today with several “Rendezvous” gatherings taking place around North America each year. one of the largest and longest fur trappers festival takes place each year in late February in Anchorage Alaska. The Rendezvous in Anchorage began in 1935 and is still going strong. This festival is one of the biggest events each year in Alaska and leads right up to the world famous Iditarod Sled Dog Race.

You will also want to check out the The Rocky Mountain National Rendezvous. This is another annual event and celebration of life on the pre-1840 American Western frontier. It’s a lot nostalgia, a reenactment and a whole lot of history, based on the old fur-trade rendezvous held in the Rocky Mountains prior to 1840. The 2012 dates are July 13-21 at the Roitz Ranch in Mountain View, Wyoming. Mountain View is about 6 miles south of Interstate 80 and a couple of miles from Fort Bridger in the western part of Wyoming.

The Green River Rendezvous, near Pinedale Wyoming, is held every July. The 2012 dates are July 12-15. The Green River Rendezvous is a western trip back to the time of the mountain men. During Rendezvous, the nearby town of Pinedale is alive with activities and events surrounding the Mountain Man theme. It’s a terrific addition to your western road trip summer vacation.

(Photos and images are public domain)

 

The Explosion of the Steamboat Pennsylvania and the Missing Engineer

The history of steamboats is fascinating. Steamboats helped America expand westward. It was able to travel where there were no roads. It carried people and needed supplies to hard to reach places. During the mid 1800’s, this remarkable invention in transportation had only one problem, and it was a big problem. It’s boilers could and would explode. The boilers that powered the steam boat engine were a huge concern. The explosion of the steamboat Pennsylvania on June 13, 1858 is very representative of the dangers river travelers faced during the period. Steam boat history is filled with stories like it.

steamboats in memphisDuring this era steam boilers the size required to run a steamboat were a relatively new creation. Pressure instruments were not what they are today and the strength needed in the materials used in boiler construction was a bit sketchy. This required that the boilers be physically monitored. Simply put, if too much pressure were allowed to build up, the boiler might explode.

And explode they did and with great numbers of people lost. In the case of steamboats, boilers naturally were placed down within the infrastructure of the boat. Explosions therefore had a catastrophic effect occurring deep inside a wooden vessel. Steamboats would literally blow apart in a ball of fire and hot steam. In many cases, those who didn’t die during the explosion itself often drowned after jumping or being thrown into the water. The huge loss of life was even more significant when you consider how much smaller the general population was in the mid 1800’s.

Steamboat mishap statistics during the mid 1800’s tells quite a story. During the years 1838 and 1870 a total of 2,200 people were killed.and hundreds injured. The largest explosion ever recorded was that of the SS Sultana just north of Memphis Tennessee in April 1865 with an estimated 1,800+ loss of life. The Sultana was grossly overloaded with returning Union soldiers from the recently ended American Civil War, most of whom spent the past few years in Confederate POW camps including the infamous Andersonville Prison. The Sultana was supposed to be their ticket home after the war. In addition to these statistics concerning steamboats, there were 111 deaths attributed to industrial boiler explosions during the period. A picture of the Sultana in early 1865 just prior to the explosion is shown below right.

The tragic explosion of the SS Pennsylvania was not only a disaster for the nation but was a personal disaster for the ex-steamboat pilot Mark Twain. It so happened that Mark Twain, who was quite fond of steamboats, was working as a steersman on the SS Pennsylvania up until a few days before the explosion. He had personal differences with the boat’s master and resigned, but not before getting his brother a job on the vessel. Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain’s) brother was killed during the riverboat disaster. Understandably, Clemens was haunted with this reminder the rest of his life.

st louis steamboatsConcerning the boiler explosion itself, it seems that the SS Pennsylvania engineer tasked with keeping an eye on the boilers steam pressure was aft, away from his post, speaking with female passengers.

According to the New York newspapers at the time, an eyewitness gave court testimony to the fact that the engineer was not at his post in the engine room just prior to the explosion and was seen with the women. All four of the boilers exploded while the SS Pennsylvania was about 75 miles below Memphis Tennessee on the Mississippi River and about 300 yards from shore. It was estimated that the entire structure of the boat was in flames only about a minute after the explosion. The SS Pennsylvania left New-Orleans on the ninth of the month with one hundred and twenty-five cabin passengers and one hundred and fifty-eight crew. With stops on the way up the river at Baton Rouge, Natchez and Vicksburg, there were a total of about 450 people in all.


Out of this number, 182 were rescued by a another boat, and about 70 others escaped. These numbers included the wounded and burned. About 200 were estimated lost and missing. The wreck of the SS Pennsylvania floated about two miles down river and burned all the way to the water line.

steamboat sultanaThe SS Pennsylvania explosion unfortunately was one of many during the 1800’s. The federal government was pressured to do something to safeguard the traveling public and as a result passed several maritime bills. The bills tried to set certain requirements and training standards and to some degree they helped but certainly didn’t rectify the problem. Compounding the problem of faulty equipment and poor monitoring was the habit of steamboats trying to make speed records on their runs and in some cases racing. This just overtaxed the boilers and was the cause of more than one disaster. The boilers could be unpredictable as in the case of the Saluda explosion just off the docks at Lexington Missouri on April 9, 1852. The Missouri River was swollen from spring rains and snow melt and the captain was determined to make it upriver around a sandbar. He had been held back by the current previously and this time was determined to make it. He called for maximum boiler pressure while leaving the dock.The resulting explosion which occurred right after the paddle wheel started to turn threw bodies all through the town of Lexington and even killed some standing on the dock.The body of the captain, last seen standing on the roof of the boat, was eventually found on the far side of a dock warehouse. The explosion was so violent that just about all of the passengers, and some bystanders, died. Out of 250+ people on board, most of them Mormons traveling to Salt Lake City, only about 40 to 50 survived. It ranked as one of the worst steamboat disasters.

Over the decades, progress was made it both safety and boiler construction. The string of federal regulations put in place continued into the 1900’s. As dangerous as steamboat travel could be, people needed the transportation especially before road improvements and before the transcontinental railroad. Probably, the area most improved by federal regulations had to do with training. This helped some in the type of people made responsible for boiler monitoring. Boiler construction materials and pressure instruments also improved over the years. What essentially was an unregulated industry became more and more regulated.

There are some interesting historic sites regarding  steam boat history.

The Arabia Steamboat Museum is an excellent place to learn more about the early days of steamboats. The museum is located at 400 Grand Blvd in Kansas City Missouri. The side wheeler steamboat Arabia hit a snag in September of 1856 on the Missouri River. The boat sank and was eventually found in 1988 by researchers. The Arabia Steamboat Museum now displays a wide collection of artifacts taken from the old vessel. They have a very impressive collection. Well worth the visit when you travel to Kansas City MO.

Another very good museum is the Howard Steamboat Museum located in Jeffersonville Indiana. According to the Howard Steamboat Museum, their mission is to preserve the Howard family story, their mansion and the history of their shipyards and to foster an appreciation of the development of river steamboats and commerce along inland rivers. The Howard Shipyard was started in 1834. The museum address is 1101 E. Market Street, Jeffersonville Indiana.

(Photos in public domain)

 

 

Crossing the Atlantic With Marconi’s Wireless / A Trip Into History

I have always found the story of Guglielmo Marconi’s success in transmitting the first wireless communication across the Atlantic Ocean very fascinating. You could say that Marconi’s first successful radio experiment activated a bell over a short distance. The experiment most remember Guglielmo Marconi for today was his transmission of a telegraph radio signal over thousands of miles between the United States and England. It was a first. It was also an event which many at the time thought impossible. It was an experiment which was built upon experiments already conducted by others. Whatever parts of other peoples works Marconi did or did not employ in his experiments, the act of transmitting a wireless signal over thousands of miles from one continent to another had never before been accomplished.

When you learn of the story you will learn how tremendous of a project this was.This was the era before transistors and semiconductors. Radio equipment in Marconi’s day was quite cumbersome.While Marconi was born and raised in Italy, much if not all of his fame was achieved while on English soil. He went to England in 1896 along with his mother. Marconi felt that the chances of advancing his wireless technology were better in England than in his native Italy. In fact, Marconi, in an effort to gain funding for his wireless projects, reached out to the English ministry of Post and Telegraphs. We do know that they did not reply to his request and it has been inferred in various historical pieces that they felt Marconi was off his rocker. They understood the telegraph system but apparently couldn’t grasp the wireless part of it. This however would change soon.

Like any inventor, the way to create public awareness and support was through actual demonstrations. Marconi, who could speak both Italian and English, set up a series of demonstrations for the British government which did begin to offer assistance. In early 1897, Marconi had transmitted Morse code close to four miles. In May of that same year he was successful in transmitting the first signals over open sea, also at a distance of close to four miles. This was between South Wales and Flat Holm Island. That was quickly followed by an experiment that sent a wireless signal about ten miles. The British were impressed.

Marconi’s “Wireless Telegraph and Signal Company” was started in 1897 after he was granted a British patent for wireless. It was renamed Marconi’s Wireless Telegraph Company in 1900. His radio experiments continued with the aim of commercialization.

Marconi was getting noticed and was invited to give several lectures concerning wireless telegraphy. During 1897 he also put on several demonstrations back in his home country of Italy. At this point he was starting to get noticed internationally. This of course was key because to continue what Marconi had in mind required funding. The surest chance of obtaining funding was to be written about by the media.

At about the year 1900, Marconi turned his attentions to finding a way to transmit wireless signals across the Atlantic Ocean. At the time, telegraphy was being sent via the undersea cables which had been laid initially in 1858 and was made permanent and much more successful in about 1868. The laying of this cable is an entire story in itself. There were many setbacks initially having to do with cable snapping off as well as rough weather conditions. The undersea cable ran from western Ireland to eastern Newfoundland. This first transatlantic cable was quite some thing. Prior to this, communication between Europe and America could only happen by ship. The transatlantic cable sped up communication to within minutes and this had a big impact, especially in regards to financial market data. Exchange rates and prices were communicated daily. The effect the transatlantic cable had on communications between North America and Europe was very similar to what the first transcontinental telegraph did for communication between Washington DC and San Francisco California.

In order for Marconi to realize his vision, much had to be worked out regarding the technology. Signal strength and the antenna apparatus was key. There were many doubters. The prevailing theory from many scientists of the era was that it was impossible since it was believed that radio signals traveled the same as light, in straight lines and this would limit the distance to the curvature of the earth. As far as Marconi was concerned, he knew that wasn’t true since he had exceeded that distance in prior experiments. His theory was that the curvature of the earth could be exceeded with sufficient power. Based on his theory, one should be able to span the Atlantic Ocean if a station of proper size could be built.

Based on this belief, Marconi went ahead and built a powerful new station in Cornwall England. His ideal receiving site would be Newfoundland.The station in Poldhu Cornwall would also be used for his ship to shore communications and continuing experiments. Actually, Marconi’s first customers were the marine industry since prior to radio ships could only communicate by line of sight. If you have the opportunity to read the book “Thunderstruck” by author Eric Larsen, there’s an interesting story of how Marconi’s ship to shore service helped capture a wanted murderer trying to escape England.

The stations built for both transmitting and receiving were quite large. The picture at right show the antenna array at the Poldhu site in Cornwall. As you can see in the photo at right, Marconi chose a point at the very end of the land. he transmitter built here usually operated at a power of about 13 kW and a wavelength estimated at 170 meters. The four masts built had a height of 215 feet. This station continued to operate to the year 1933.

The construction on Newfoundland for a suitable receiving station was the other side to Marconi’s equation. At first he constructed the four tower array on Cape Cod. During this time his antennae in Cornwall was blown down by gale force winds. There was pressure from investors to see results so Marconi decided to build a temporary receiving station on Newfoundland. As it turned out, the cape Cod array also was blown down so Newfoundland became the site to concentrate on. Up to this point, Marconi had been successful in transmitting wireless for about 225 miles, so even though the Newfoundland station was a shorter distance than Cape Cod, it did represent a 2,100 mile challenge. The site on Newfoundland, shown in the photo below, picked for the experiments was known as Signal Hill, a point near the mouth of the harbor of St. Johns. The receiving equipment, was installed in a room in a former hospital building.

Marconi used what was called a “coherer” as the receiving apparatus in Newfoundland. A coherer is simply a tube with two electrodes. Metal filings were placed between the electrodes and when a radio signal was received the resistance between the electrodes would be reduced and a signal were pass between the two. Developed by an inventor in France by the name of Branly, the coherer was the first receiving device used to detect a spark gap transmitter signal. It was actually a relatively simple piece of equipment. It was the device that enabled the very first radio signal receiving.

The history books give a bit of confusing information as to the precise time and date Marconi was to receive the first transatlantic signal at his receiving station in Newfoundland. The popular version places it on the 12th hour of the 12th day of the 12th month in 1901. It’s been written that Thomas Edison thought Marconi may have heard static instead of signals. Some contended that in daylight it was not practical for the signals to travel such a distance. With that in mind, there are questions as to what exact frequency Marconi was using. Some say 100 Khz and others say 800 Khz. There is also the question as to how accurate frequencies could be measured in this early era. The photo below is a model of a Marconi wireless station, courtesy of the National Park Service.

The 1901 event has been debated even to today. Most radio scientists concluded that if a signal was indeed received at Signal Hill Newfoundland in 1901, it would most likely would have had to be a short wave signal. The debate centered on exactly what type of signal was used and how the receiver and antennae were tuned. Regardless of the controversy surrounding the 1901 attempt, what is most important is that a transatlantic signal and a complete message was, without a doubt, transmitted by Guglielmo Marconi from Glace Bay Nova Scotia to Poldhu in 1902. The experiment took place in Nova Scotia in 1902 rather than in Newfoundland due to the Anglo-American Cable Company ordering the Signal Hill site to be closed down. This just demonstrates the commercial competitiveness of the whole wireless endeavor at that time.

Today, it is possible to travel to these same historic sites to learn more about Guglielmo Marconi and his amazing transatlantic radio experiments. These are excellent trips into history.

The Marconi National Historic Site of Canada, in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, is the site of Guglielmo Marconi’s first transatlantic wireless station and the first wireless message sent from North America to Europe. The site features the remnants of Marconi’s transmission towers, along with a museum chronicling Marconi’s achievements.

In 2001, the Marconi Centre was opened in Poldhu Cornwall. The Marconi Centre features a video presentation showing the significance of Poldhu and Marconi’s work. There are also much additional information on wall panels. The Centre is owned by the National Trust and run by the Poldhu Amateur Radio Club. Admission is free.