The Original Life In The Buckhorn Canyon

_____________________________________________________________

Here's our best setup for dealing out of a tent, seen on the Pawnee Grass Lands & used at most rendezvous.

The property that we have moved onto just a little south of Masonville in the Buckhorn Canyon has had a neat past history. According to local historians; one local famous mountain man - Mariano Medina, for whom the Mariana Butte area is named, arrived with his wife in 1858 (late for the fur trade) and built a cabin near the Big Thompson River two years later, becoming the first permanent settler of the area.

My father-in-law claimed that Medina's step son Louie Papa would come up the valley several times a month to visit his sister Lena that was buried on the same hill as our shooting range. How neat is that, anyway we were working on clearing the path to the range and Bob Williams pulls a leather shirt out from a small cave like hole along with a rattle snake. We forget about the hard leather shirt with our interests are on killing the snake.

The following weekend our work party is on the hill again, setting up the range. One of the supervisors from the phone company brings a backhoe to set poles for the running target on top of the hill. That was an experience in its self with chaining several trucks to the hoe so it didn't go over the cliff. Long story of what all the early members went through to make a shooting range.

Go to this link to read about Mariano Medina, Louie Papa and the leather shirt we found.

I mentioned one "Mr. Rod Sweeney" on the previous page, this gentleman was more fun than a room full of monkeys. He had such smiling all the time, never a dull moment with him in the house or on the ground.

See how Rod got his name "Liver Eatin'Sweeney".

I have been very lucky in past adventures, being able to have made the trip on the Erie Canal, along with other trips that went west into Ohio and finally seeing the Mississippi River. I've traveled from Ft. Benton, MT to as far south as Ft. de Chartre, IL on the various rivers that dump into the Mississippi, doing these trips in a number of different types of water vessels and time periods, along with correct clothing and equipment for those periods. We have camped at Paoli Massacre site, Valley Forge, F&I War - Civil War sites to original rendezvous sites in the Rockies, & slept in the same place as Lewis & Clark, when making their famous journey with the Corps.

Some early travels are not worth mentioning, typical scouting events, very organized with father's commanding the youth, serious stuff at the time. We became a little more into doing the Indian thing with the Explorers and the Joe Hunt books, made about anything you can think of with logs and ropes. All done for badges and merit awards, not done to experience a period of time or style of living, thus missing the whole objective of the course. Many crafts, foods preparation and cooking in our handy Boy Scout do-it-all kit.

A few friends & my self's first real experience at getting into the historical mode of travel was done so many years ago, I hate to admit to it. Most of the so called "trekkers" of today were not even a gleam in their mother's eye.

1981 - 1986 - I change directions & decide to update the old homestead with a new store front, Ben Thompson is a very good silversmith, has knowledge of the F&I War through the Indian Wars. We agree I'll cover his rent while he runs a store wherehe can do his silversmithing & sell our wares. Buckhorn Renzevous now has alocation, not just a trade tent. We start the construction on the store in early spring & are ready to open in the fall, we are a dealer for several firearms as well as muzzleloading supplies for the blanket trade.

Visit Our Store - "BUCKHORN RENDEZVOUS" just "click" on the company sign ...

1984 - 1986 I had an on the job accident tearing up my back, unable to climb or lift anything heavy, I was sent to Denver on new job indoors with lots of restrictedness. Spend 3 hours a day driving to and from work, this sucks. Have to get an apartment to help with all the driving, Kim moves in as she's working in Denver also. I go home every other day to check on mom. Now being divorced but still living here in Masonville, driving 150 miles round trip from here to Englewood each day, it's getting old but no options other than shut down the business. I tried to continue with driving & running the store by myself with Ben leaving. I decide to close the retail business because of this change & start a wholesale business.
.....

.....

1987 - 1989 - Started & then finally closed a wholesale business with partner Dennis Cox, (turned out to be a big mistake), making muzzle loading shooting and cleaning patches, shooting bags and knife sheaths, along with ironware and other items. I end up doing most of the work while Dennis sits around telling how good we are doing, but does very little with the manufacturing of products. This lasts about three years and I have had it & we sell the business. Close out the last of the wholesale business, & break off relations with Cox, had enough talking & not performing.

.....

1990 - I need to move out of Masonville and the Buckhorn Canyon for several reasons, work and all the driving has worn out three low mileage vehicles plus the lack of sleep, sleeping while driving are just a few hardships that could end everything.

Visit Our Club the - "BUCKHORN SKINNERS" by "clicking" on the offical club logo

Long story of events & taking care of this place along with family that made 18 years here go pretty fast when thinking about it now. That boring information can be seen by "clicking" on the sites listed above.

_________________________________________________

PAGE 1

To continue "click" on the forward pistol to see our involvement with the CSMLA, to return to the Sitting Fox Agency use the "BACK" pistol. Thank You.