Beaver Trap
"Teton" Todd Glover shows how to set a trap without getting your finger caught.
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Snow Glasses
Kevin Nettleton shows his foldable pair of glasses used by mountain men to prevent snow blindness.
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Sign Language
Mike "Silver Hawk" Powell demonstrates the sign for "see".
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Living History Days 2007
At the Museum of the Mountain Man in Pinedale
by Clint Gilchrist, Pinedale Online!
May 18, 2007
Here in the Green River Valley, 175 years ago, Mountain Men lived year round trapping beaver in the cold winter months, and partying hard at the summer rendezvous when the supplies wagons showed up. With grizzly bear, hostile Indians, and Mother Nature, they risked injury and their lives every day. It was a tough life, and they were a thousand miles from civilization.
Yah, but... could they entertain 782 fourth graders in three days? That was the challenge for seven modern day mountain men at the Museum of the Mountain Man in Pinedale this past week.
For the 7th year, the Museum partnered with members of the American Mountain Men (AMM) organization to put on this unique learning experience for kids. It is primarily attended by 4th graders to complement their local history class. The program is very popular with the kids and each year more and more schools attend. This year, 782 students came from Pinedale, Big Piney, Jackson, Farson, Rock Springs and Kemmerer.
The American Mountain Men organization is dedicated to learning and teaching about the day to day lives of the original mountain men who trapped in the area in the 1820s and 1830s. This year seven AMM members came from Idaho, Utah and Wyoming.
Mike Powell from Newdale, Idaho, taught the kids Indian sign language. Roy Hansen, from Utah, talked about living in an Indian tipi. Richard Ashburn, from Jackson Hole, demonstrated fire making and explained guns used by the mountain men. Jim Hardee, from Quincy, California, and Todd Glover, from Salt Lake City, Utah, demonstrated how beaver was trapped and showed students a variety of animal skins. Rick Williams, from Salt Lake City, showed and explained trade items used by the mountain men to trade for furs with the Indians. Kevin Nettleton explained the clothes worn by the mountain men.
The programs were free to the students and public due to generous funding from Sublette County Board of Cooperating Education Services (BOCES). If you missed the demonstration, the AMM guys will be back in Pinedale during Green River Rendezvous Days, July 12-15, 2007.
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