WSP-64
John Jenkins Designs
The Rendezvous was an annual gathering, at various locations held by a fur trading company at which trappers and mountain men sold their furs and hides and replenished their supplies. Held every summer, the trappers came together for the Rendezvous (pronounced “Rondy-Voo”) It was a celebration like Christmas, New Year’s Eve and the Fourth of July all rolled into one.
These Rendezvous were known to be lively, joyous places where all were welcome, fur trappers, Indians, native trapper wives, and children, travellers, and even tourists who would venture from as far as Europe to observe the festivities. By the mid-1830s, the annual event would attract up to 500 men.
They were described as events “full of myrth, songs, dancing, shouting, trading, running, singing, racing, target-shooting, yarns, frolics, with all sorts of extravagances that white men or Indians could invent!”
These events include many of the activities that were necessary for survival, centering on shooting guns and shotguns; throwing knives and tomahawks; primitive archery; as well as cooking, dancing, singing, and the telling of tall tales and of past rendezvous.