Bridger Valley gears up for annual rendezvous

Bethany Lange, Herald Reporter
Posted 8/29/17

Fort Bridger Mountain Man Rendezvous kicks off this weekend

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Bridger Valley gears up for annual rendezvous

Posted

EVANSTON — Labor Day weekend will be full of events, not the least of which is the famed Fort Bridger Rendezvous. The 45th annual Fort Bridger Rendezvous will run from Friday-Monday, Sept. 1-4, at the Fort Bridger Historic Site. 

Traders, activities, demonstrations, contests, storytelling, kids’ games, Native American dances and more will fill the days as tens of thousands of people gather to recreate and celebrate the fur trade era, which ran between 1825-1840 in the western part of the United States. In that time period, mountain men, Native Americans, fur trappers and traders would come together to trade — and one of the biggest of all the rendezvous reenacted today is the Fort Bridger Rendezvous. 

This year’s booshway (head man at the rendezvous), Bob Christensen, said the Fort Bridger Rendezvous usually attracts between 20-30,000 people throughout the weekend. 

“It is the second largest next to the Cheyenne Frontier Days,” he said

He added, though, that it does not feel very crowded because of the spacious area and the variety of activities. 

Christensen said people attend not only for the contests and for the activities but for the traders’ row, where many items are available that are difficult or impossible to buy at other times, especially since many traders make their own wares. Christensen said there will be more than 100 traders at the event, all selling period-correct items, from homemade brooms to saddles to handwork to ironwork and more. 

And, of course, the activities themselves are many and varied. 

There will be a blackpowder shooting competition, knife and tomahawk competitions on Saturday and Sunday, kids’ game throughout the days, Indian dancers at specific times every day, candy cannons, a cannon shoot, a frying pan toss, an egg frying contest, a Dutch oven cook-off and more. Christensen said there will be bagpipers as well. 

The egg frying contest, for instance, is a contest in which two people have to start a fire with flint and tinder or a magnifying glass (or something that mid-19th century traders, trappers, Indians and mountain men might have used), fry an egg and eat it faster than the other. 

“It’s a lot of fun, a lot of cheering, that sort of thing,” Christensen said. 

Another event he highlighted was the Dutch oven contest, during which contestants will try to make the best dish in Dutch ovens. The entries will be judged by professionals, and there will also be a People’s Choice Award. 

Because of the nature of the event, all of the events are open only to people in period-correct dress, including the kids. That is, anyone can watch, but only those dressed in the spirit of the event may participate directly in the reenactments and contests. This is reflected in the entrance fees as well; anyone in period-correct clothing (head to toe) can get into the rendezvous for free, as can children aged 11 and under. Other than that, general admission for everyone 12 and older is $4 per person.  

And on top of all the activities, Christensen said, the historical site itself is a draw because it is like an outdoor museum. 

“There’s rendezvous that go on all year long, and yet, many of them are not doing as well as Fort Bridger. It seems to be getting bigger and bigger.  There’s something about the site,” Christensen said. “… It’s almost magical at that site. It just draws people better than any other rendezvous that’s held during the summer.” 

He said that, over the course of the weekend, families typically get together for family reunions, and other rendezvous-goers may only see each other that year at the Fort — thus creating an atmosphere that very much recreates the spirit of the original rendezvous. 

“It’s just a big gathering that everyone likes to go to,” Christensen said. 

More information about the rendezvous schedule and history is available on the website at www.fortbridgerrendezvous.net.