Heading Out 1859

[JimBob]

The Prairie Traveler-Randolph B. Marcy 1859

" Every man who goes into the Indian country should be armed with a rifle and revolver,and he should never,either in camp or out of it,lose sight of them.When not on the march,they should be placed in such a position that they can be seized at an instant's warning;and when moving about outside the camp,the revolver should invariably be worn in the belt,as the person does not know at what moment he may have a use for it.

......A large majority of men prefer the breech-loading arm,but there are those who still adhere tenaciously to the old fashioned muzzle-loading rifle as preferable to any of the modern inventions.Among these may be mentioned the border hunters and mountainers,who can not be persuaded to use any other than the Hawkins rifle,for the reason that they know nothing about the merits of any others."

[TwoWalks Baldridge]

The Prairie Traveler-Randolph B. Marcy 1859

" Every man who goes into the Indian country should be armed with a rifle and revolver,and he should never,either in camp or out of it,lose sight of them.When not on the march,they should be placed in such a position that they can be seized at an instant's warning;and when moving about outside the camp,the revolver should invariably be worn in the belt,as the person does not know at what moment he may have a use for it.

......A large majority of men prefer the breech-loading arm,but there are those who still adhere tenaciously to the old fashioned muzzle-loading rifle as preferable to any of the modern inventions.Among these may be mentioned the border hunters and mountainers,who can not be persuaded to use any other than the Hawkins rifle,for the reason that they know nothing about the merits of any others."

Good advice:  I trust my Hawkins but admit one of those new paper cartridge sharps draws my interest.

[Caleb Hobbs]

Thanks for the post, JimBob. I'd like to start a thread on good source material for this period. I know one of my favorite books is James Mead's "Hunting and Trading on the Great Plains." Mead came to Kansas in 1859, and spent a good deal of those early years hunting buffalo for hides, meat, and tallow, not to mention trading with some of the plains tibes. It's one of the sources that piqued my interest in Plainsmen.

[Oregon Bill]

Caleb: Thanks for that title. I'm adding it to my list!

[Tsalagidave]

Well just when I think that I have covered the most informative books on the subject, someone always manages to drop another reading assignment into my lap. I don't know how I overlooked Hunting and Trading on the Great Plains but I did. Looks like I'll be hunting down a copy.  (Thanks for the lead Caleb)

I have put together a great kit of tools, medicine and other necessary items for this period.  We should open a thread comparing various packing techniques and practices that we like to do.  I have been at this for 20-years and learn something new every time I talk with friends of the same interests so I am definitely not the be-all, end-all of the subject (thank God).

-Dave

[Caleb Hobbs]

A new thread on packing and trekking/horseback rides is a great idea, Dave. Get 'er started. I know there are a few others on here who do that. I used to, but haven't in at least fifteen years. I'd still enjoy reading and seeing photos of what others are up to, though.

[rbertalotto]

I found a copy of James Mead's "Hunting and Trading on the Great Plains at Amazon for $15.........ordered it and paid with Amazon points...cost = zero!

Please recommend other good reads that deal with the CAS era......I've exhausted all reading from Lewis and Clark, through the mountain men era and now I'm focusing on the "Cowboy" era.

THANKS!

[JimBob]

I found a copy of James Mead's "Hunting and Trading on the Great Plains at Amazon for $15.........ordered it and paid with Amazon points...cost = zero!

Please recommend other good reads that deal with the CAS era......I've exhausted all reading from Lewis and Clark, through the mountain men era and now I'm focusing on the "Cowboy" era.

THANKS!

Check out the offerings here http://www.oupress.com Many titles at discount thru Jan.3 Look in the American West and Military History sections for titles of interest covering the periods represented by the CAS boards.

[Caleb Hobbs]

There are a lot of great books out there on a lot of subjects, but because I've always been interested in the hide and robe trade, Mead's recollections really sparked my imagination.

JimBob: Thanks for the head's up on the University of Oklahoma's book sale. I was looking at the book on James Kirker just a few weeks ago, and decided to pass on it because of the price. Now it's gone from $34.95 to $6.99, so I'll be ordering it this weekend.

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Thanks for the link to oupress.  Spotted this;

http://www.oupress.com/ECommerce/Book/Detail/110/army%20regulars%20on%20the%20western%20frontier

[rbertalotto]

Just ordered 11 books and the total cost was under $50!

Should keep me occupied through the winter!

Thanks!