Daniel Boone challenge

[BlueTrain]

The pack above is interesting. I have no idea what sort of pack a civilian might have used in the 18th century where Boone roamed, although I will admit haven't exactly done any research. However, the basic Norwegian Bergan pack frame has by now been around well over hundred years, although not manufactured in the original form now for perhaps 30 years. But canvas packs in various sizes and shapes are still being turned out by the Duluth Pack Company. That's what Horace Kephart used and chance are, the packs of a hundred years earlier may not have been much different. I'm certain packs of different styles were in use, one type being close to what we think of as a frameless rucksack, the other more like an oversize messenger bag or rucksack. But the frontier period in American lasted perhaps at least two hundred years, probably more depending on your cut-off point, so there is room there for a lot of variation. Even then, very old patterns would have continued in use if they had nothing better, same as now. Generally speaking, however, I've never read anything that gave much detail about what travelers on the frontier might have carried on a tramp, though I'm sure the information is out there somewhere. Considerable material exists on Mountain Men, which is a period not much later.

Nice to see this thread is still active.

 

[Man of Tanith]

its a slow burner but its a good un to keep going

 

[BlueTrain]

I was thinking about what Boone and his contemporaries might have carried in the way of first aid items and in digging through my own references, I came up with nothing. Horace Kephart goes into a little detail on the subject but it was a long time before the term "first aid kit" was even mention in any list and even then now, otherwise good lists do not detail contents.

It was interesting, however, that some early lists mention "medicine." So they had some awareness of the idea, only in a different way. One list even included opium. I believe in mentioned in another thread that my own little kit that has had mostly the same contents for something like 40 years, is probably inadequate going on useless for serious emergencies as well as being mostly unnecessary for what it could handle. Still, it's handy just the same and if you actually dig into it now and then for something, you'll get a better idea of what should actually be included.

I think Boone might have seen his frontier experiences more as traveling than camping and that might have affected what he took on his journeys. Chances are, he would have brought along one or two extra pairs of moccasins, something we might not think of. But people make long foot journeys, such as on the Appalachian Trail, that are far longer than I imagine what Boone may have done. I read that such long distance hikers take about a month on the trail before they finally get everything down pat with their gear and their bodies become accustomed to hiking.

 

[Man of Tanith]

Makes sense.
First aid is aimed at the initial treatment until you get to a pro or the pro gets to you. They wouldnt of had paramedics to come rushing to their aid then.
so the medicine would be more important. And treatment would of been more brutal I suspect.

I'm sure I read somewhere not boone about someone being robbed and being left an awl to repair his moccasins (northwest passge rings a bell?) So footwesr repair is something we have over looked if only because ours is a lot more robust than what was used then.

nice additions thanks

 

[BlueTrain]

I think sometimes there is a tendency to imagine some of our ancestors as being more primitive than they really were. Oh, I'm not descended from Daniel Boone (Pat Boone is, supposedly) but of course, we all had ancestors living then. A good example is canned food. Someone here suggested that you couldn't have canned (tinned) food and be correct. But canning, using both glass and metal cans, was invented in the early 1800s. That was during Boone's lifetime, although that's not to say he ever used any and I seriously doubt he ever did. It took decades before it occurred to someone that a can opener would be handy to have along. In fact, a version of the classic American "P-38" can opener was in use in WWI.

It is tricky to attempt to be historically correct. It's not necessarily difficult, though it can be. For another instance, I suppose modern dehydrated foods would clearly be historically incorrect but dehydrated foods certainly existed then, whether or not you could stand to eat them. I believe they were all of Indian origin, creators of the first trail foods as well as strange haircuts.

Not to change the subject, however, but I think there are other historical periods of equal interest, even if they didn't happen to happen in places I lived. Boone lived during a period of a great western movement, which in a sense, is still going on. At least my son moved to California, anyway. But the period of the mid-1800s when settlers were crossing the prairies, the mountains and the deserts on their way to Oregon and California was interesting. I find the gold rush period of the tail end of the 19th century to be more interesting, though. Technically, it was little different in most ways from Boone's lifetime. Firearms were different, some of the packaging was different and a few other details had evolved but Boone would probably have fitted right in, even if he liked his elbow room.

 

[santaman2000]

I think sometimes there is a tendency to imagine some of our ancestors as being more primitive than they really were......

I toured Daniel Boone's last home roughly this time last year and you're absolutely tight; It was hardly "primitive." It was a two story stone home in Missouri and the re-enactors were dressed quite a long ways from the buckskins that Hollywood portrayed. They were in the knee britches, long stockings, and stiff leather boots you normally see on movies about the founding fathers.

 

[BlueTrain]

Primitive is a loaded word and probably not the best one to use. After all, Boone and Crockett didn't use matchlocks. Yet muzzle loaders retained a measure of popularity well after cartridge firearms became available. The possible reasons include the expense of the new things (always a consideration), difficulty of obtaining a resupply of fresh cartridges as well as other reasons. You have to keep in mind that when new technology is introduced, cartridge firearms in this instance, it takes a while for any real standardization to occur. Every new gun had it's own unique cartridge. The best example of that is the incredible variety of cavalry carbines acquired by the armies during the American Civil War.

A better word would be "old-fashioned." People would, and still do, used things as long as they worked or had any utility. That would make recreating a particular moment in time, in the past, especially difficult. Our mindset probably wants to neatly break up the past into clearly defined historical periods like the pages on a calendar. But time and history doesn't happen like that, even though there may be events like revolutions, storms or even a death in the family, when you know that things will never be the same from then on. You just may not realize it at the time. Also, in a way, history is usually seen out of context.

For instance, we are perfectly (or imperfectly) aware of much that is happening around town and around the world, even though most of it has virtually no impact on our lives. But it's difficult to put ourselves in the place of a historical individual of 200 years ago, one who was either famous or anonymous, because it's so hard to see things from his perspective, recreate his values and imagine what things really made a difference to him. But we can try.

Basically all historical periods overlap and people live though them all. There were people still living in the 1930s when movies were being made about wagon trains going west who had actually done that in the 1850s. What I don't know is if any moviemaker ever met one of them.

 

[boatman]

I like it that some extras in early cowboy films had actually been outlaws etc in the West.

 

[BlueTrain]

I'd never heard that. Most of those old westerns had a lot of horses relative to similar movies now. The one thing most of them did not have was--cows.

 

[9InchNinja]

Having been confined to sleeping indoors since February I'm out next weekend for an overnighter

I shall be attempting my own version of the D Boone challenge...

Kit list will be:

Kit:
Frost River Isle Royale - too big, but I'm not allowed to buy the smaller version
Wool blankets (2 or 3, depending on the weather - although may swap for Czech bedroll)
Army cot bed canvas - to be used for A frame bed.
DD 3x3 tarp - still no canvas tarp
- paracord / bungees to hang it with; not very authentic, I know.
folding bucksaw or RM SFA (undecided yet, probably the saw, maybe both)
One big knife, one small(er) one
Pathfinder bush pot
pathfinder bottle and nesting cup
and rather embarrassingly... pathfinder flint and steel set (I've just been on Heinnie - never a good idea after half a bottle of Martell. But it's all so shiny)
Uco candle, or more likely; cause I've not had proper chance to play with it yet, the coleman powerhouse (from the Midnitehound group buy)

Food:
Meat
Veg
Beer (to cook in and quench my thirst)
Hopefully the rest of this Martell, not looking likely though
Port

Clothing:
Danner boots (nice and warm)
Bison wool hoody
wool trousers if I can borrow my old dears sewing machine. Or get her to make them...

Cheat Items:
apart from all the cheaty bits above...
Pipe - electronic form
noggin lamp
My Daniel Boone era mobile phone
FAK

Nowt to take picture on unfortunately, but I could scan some Crayola drawings of my adventure. Providing I don't burn my dinner and eat the crayons.

 

[BlueTrain]

Try doing this: make a list without using brand names. I don't think there were many brand names in use during Boone's lifetime. True, there were a few things that had proper names or model numbers, mostly army issue. There were also quite a few things that came in more or less standard patterns, like tomahawks (which he probably called a hatchet), but I don't think they had brand names. That isn't to say that he didn't prefer things that came from such and such or were made by so and so, but that's not the same thing as a brand name (which is no longer necessarily made by so and so!).

 

[MarkinLondon]

Quick question: my sense is that a bug repellant containing pine tar, beeswax or rapeseed oil (or any other items made with these ingredients) should be allowed. Any opinions?

 

[BlueTrain]

I don't see why not, although I don't seem to be troubled that much by insects in the woods. They're certainly there, all right, sometimes in huge numbers, just waiting for me in places where people park their cars. But they don't seem to follow me down the trail. Other insects take over then. Flies (big ones) in the sunny places, gnats in the shade, mosquitos here and there and ticks just waiting to ambush you. But I've picked up ticks mowing my front lawn--we have deer, therefore we have deer ticks. In fact, I am bothered more by insects at home than I am in the woods.

Some of the early outdoor writers dwelt at length on insect protection. Protection more than repellant, too, I might add. I use it when I think to but I'm never very confident that it does any good. But in Daniel Boone's day, I've never seen any references to what may have been in use then, either by frontiersmen or by Indians. That doesn't mean none of them weren't plagued by creatures born to fly into your ears or your eyes. Many good writers from the pre-Civil War period simply don't mention a lot of things. General Custer's widow remarked that her husband never mentioned the extremes of weather in the American Great Plains and having been stationed in at least one post where Custer was, I can attest to the fact that the weather can sometimes be extreme out there.

 

[Man of Tanith]

Bug repellent is a personal choice.
smudge fires work. So does yarrow or elder juices (just check for intolerance to either of em before you smear it everywhere)

 

[9InchNinja]

Bug repellent is a personal choice.
smudge fires work.

Personally I stick to the repellent. I appear to be a smoke magnet when sat next to any camp fire. Smudge fires are okay, but I need a pair of goggles or something.

 

[santaman2000]

.....in Daniel Boone's day, I've never seen any references to what may have been in use then, either by frontiersmen or by Indians....

I don't have any references, and TBH I don't know how true it is, but I've often heard they used bear grease. either alone or with cedar rubbed in.

 

[bushcraftkid2001]

I'm definitely gonna have a crack at this one!!!

 

[woodsrunner]

I'm definitely gonna have a crack at this one!!!

get on it!...woods

 

[bushcraftkid2001]

Might just wait until it warms up a bit though

 

[Man of Tanith]

Why?
More skills to do it in the cold