Seems as though every single thing on God’s green earth possesses a subtle, inescapable, somewhat droll sense of humor. Even the basic, rudimentary forces of nature herself have a way of laughing/poking fun at you when you least imagine or expect it... And if a lad (or in this case, several lads) be smart, they’ll learn to laugh right along with Ma Nature and/or everybody else.
Returning to the Wabash | Reliving History by Surviving in a Dugout Canoe with Eli Froedge and Jason Jacobs
One year to the day later, we’re back at the frontier home of Eli Froedge and Jason Jacobs as they recover from another expedition in their dugout canoe. In 2019, the pair set out to travel the Wabash river, not far from Eli’s home, south into the Ohio River.
Announcing the 1st Annual NMLRA American Longrifle Show
Falling Leaves Shooting Festival 2020
On September 18th, the Walter Cline Range’s Primitive range came to life once again this year with the “Falling Leaves Shooting Festival”. Organized by Tim Hamblen, this traditional muzzleloading shoot brought nearly a hundred shooters and campers into the valley for a weekend of fun and friendship.
Eli Froedge and Jason Jacobs continue their expedition of the Wabash River in a dugout canoe
Last fall, Eli Froedge and Jason Jacobs struck out for a trek on the Wabash river with their homemade dugout canoe. Seeking to replicate a trip down the Wabash that generations of long hunters have made before, the pair spent several days on the river camping and hunting. We met up with the pair at the Feast of the Hunters’ Moon in 2019 and listened to the adventure.
With summer coming to a close here in Indiana, the spirit of adventure returned to Eli and Jason. This year they would finish their trip down the entire Wabash River and drop into the Ohio River. This year the pair will have some more friends to join in on the adventure. Keith and Jen Syers of “Ramshackle Homestead and Survival” would join them in a period homemade bateau, and Heath Hoffmann & son who joined in on part of the trip last year will be joining Eli and Jason once again.
As of writing, the group is on its 3rd day of the 2020 expedition. Below you’ll find some of the journal entries published by Jason to his Facebook group “Historic Pathways 1750-1820”. We’ll be sharing updates as we see them and are looking forward to bringing you another interview with Eli and Jason should they desire to return to the world, haha!
Jason 9/13
We are less than a week away from striking out on the second half of our dugout canoe trip.
For those who followed along, last Fall, you know Eli and I put in on the Wabash, at Terre Haute, Indiana, and took out at Mt Carmel, IL About 115 river miles.
We are putting in at Mt Carmel, IL and the plan is to finish the Wabash, turn right into the Ohio and take out about 10-15 miles down the Ohio.
Anticipation and apprehension have been less, this year, however, we still have a rough stretch to negotiate near New Harmony and plenty of big water past that, but we have cut our food supplies and gear back, substantially and the weather is promising to be far more hospitable, than last year.
This year, we should be joined, on the first leg of our journey by Tim and
Heath Hoffman , the father and son team that paddled the last leg with us, last year, plus we are going to be joined by KeithandJen Syers for the entirety of the journey.
We should have lots of great pictures and much video footage, this trip.
I feel so very fortunate to have friends with like interests, who are willing to put in the hard work, time, and expenses that a trip like this takes. Again, we are planning to be on the water for a week. Stay tuned for what's around the next river bend, friends.
Now off to finish up a bit of kit for our travels...
Jason 9/19
Well, we are at our starting point. The water coming in on the right is the White River, left is the Wabash.
Calling for a high of 71 degrees today. 47 degrees for an overnight low.
Little excitement early in the paddle.
Our buddy Keith, KeithandJen Syers was repositioning in his bateau, about a mile and a half into the trip and his heel went through the bottom. Water rushing in like he made it out of a screen door.
Luckily, Eli and I were fairly close by in the dugout and Tim Deonna Hoffman was right next to him in his canoe. Eli and I couldn't turn the dugout around quick enough, so we paddled up the river in reverse. Lol
We saved everything but Keith's seat and of course the bateau. I did stand on the deck of the HMS Divorce and play Taps as she went under.
We made it around 14 miles to our night camp and have set camp, gathered firewood and got a fire going to cook some supper.
Jason 9/20
We made around 20-1/2 miles, today. We are camped just south of New Harmony.
Just above the old dam.
We will get a good night's sleep and tackle that obstacle in the morning.
We saw a few beaver today, three deer, lots more ducks, turtles and too many eagles to count.
No boats lost today. Only sore muscles and stiff backs.
NMLRA Horner's Cabin gets a new roof!
NMLRA Falling Leaves Shooting Festival
Talking Mongolian Horse Bows and Thumb Ring Archery with Ricky Roberts
The Historic Wolf Hills | John Curry | Muzzle Blasts Excerpts
The following article appeared first in the June 2020 Issue of “Muzzle Blasts Magazine”, the official magazine from the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association.
“I first set foot in this Green River country in the spring of 1769. Jim Knox, from the Wolf Hills on the Holston, led a party of us into Kentucky to hunt. Folks called us the Long Hunters because we stayed gone such a time. The country was wilderness in those days. But few white men had ever seen it, and none had settled here.”
So begins an unassuming little book called “The Kentuckians”. The great Janice Holt Giles’ epic tale of a young longhunter’s amazing experiences during the late 1760’s in that vast, totally uninhabited expanse known as “the dark and bloody ground”. Lazy High School student that I was, I chose to read The Kentuckians under odious decree of a compulsory, English class, book report. Drat! My selection of this thoroughly astounding tome, owing mainly to its diminutive and insignificant size. Little did I know… Talk about lightning in a bottle! Hah! Right then and there began my irrepressible zeal for the saga of the longhunter which still holds me in its burly grip yet today.
Once anyone becomes seriously entangled amidst the bona fide history of true, classic longhunting; various intriguing references and allusions to this place called “the Wolf Hills” begin to pop up regularly. Arising from the most inauspicious, trifling parties you seldom ever hear about to the best known and most famous woodsmen of that age: “…Daniel Boone, accompanied by several hunters, visited the Holston and camped the first night in what is now known as Taylor’s Valley. On the succeeding day, they hunted down the South Fork of Holston river and traveled thence to what was known as the Wolf Hills, where they encamped the second night near where Black’s Fort was afterwards built. It is interesting to note at this point that Daniel Boone and his companions, immediately after nightfall, were troubled by the appearance of great numbers of wolves, which assailed their dogs with such fury that it was with great difficulty that the hunters succeeded in repelling their attacks and saving the lives of their dogs, a number of which were killed or badly crippled by the wolves. The wolves had their home in the cave that underlies the town of Abingdon. The entrance to this cave is upon the lot now occupied by the residence of Mr. James L. White.” 2 Yes… Actually, the huge entrance to the infamous Wolf Cave of so much extraordinary, longhunting lore, is now wholly contained within the backyard of a beautiful, Victorian house - located in central, downtown Abingdon!
John Curry
To read the full article, subscribe to Muzzle Blasts TODAY
References:
1 Giles, Janice Holt, The Kentuckians, p. 2.
2 Summers, Lewis Preston, Southwest Virginia, 1746- 1786, p.76.
3 Haywood, John, Civil and Political History of the State of Tennessee, p. 55.
4 John D. Shane’s interview with William Clinkenbeard, Filson Club Quarterly, Vol. 2, No. 3, April 1928, p.105.
5 John D. Shane’s interview with John Hedge, Filson Club Quarterly, Vol. 14, No. 3, July 1940, p.181.
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3 Moccassin Patterns and Tutorials
These patterns were shared by Wil Crouch in the “Buckskins & Muzzleloaders, The Life & Times Of The Mountain Men, 1760-1840” Facebook Group. Try making a pair and let us know how it goes!
Knapsacks and no flour | Read more at Buffalo Trace 1765
This article has been making the rounds in the living history community online, through sharing this first 2 paragraphs we hope to direct you to the original author’s writing as it is quite interesting!
By Killbuck
I figured I check in to see what everyone’s favorite Mike Burke impersonator Nicholas Cresswell was doing on his journey. Cresswell is one of my favorite Journals of the 18th century. It has everything observations on local color, clothing, and he goes thru all of the 3 stages of the 18th century journal.
Shelter Series: Tent Stakes | Andrew Shook
Follow along as Andrew Shook shares how to make some simple tent stakes for your next historical trek.
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Pipes and Tobacco of the Frontier | Muzzle Blasts Archives 1986
A Weekend with the Longhunters of Western Indiana | Muzzle Blasts on the Road
We were invited out for a small camp and shoot this weekend by Eli Froedge and Jason Jacobs. It was a great weekend of black powder and fellowship.
The following is shared from camp organizer Jason Jacobs,
‘A little preview of our camp/shoot, last weekend. We had 17 camps and 22 shooters. We had shooters from five states. Great time had by all. Lots of shooting; 20 shot rifle course, 20 shot smooth bore course, 10 shot pistol course, 14 block hawk and knife course, long range rifle match, clay bird shoot, candle shoot and a clatch match. Winner on the clatch match was 53, IIRC. Long range match started at 80 yards and ended at 140 yards on a 12 inch steel plate. Two tables full of awesome food and a 29 pound ham on the spit.‘
Photos in this slideshow were taken by Muzzle Blasts reporters who attended the event.
Subscribe to Keith's channel
Watch as Keith Syers from Ramshackle Homestead and Survival makes use of the natural environment around him to keep his flintlock smoothbore going
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