Monthly Archives: January 2020

Packing The Donkey

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Fort Uncompahgre was a trading fort. it was built to handle the fur trade by being a way station of sorts, hence it’s lack of fortification. The walls were upright logs stuck in the ground and housed the necessary buildings inside to handle the business of trade. The traders store, the saddlery shop, an early version of a Starbucks, all the things the folks gathered around the fort needed were inside its walls. If there was danger of some sort you could get in there quick and shoot out from between the logs, but it was never built to stand up to any type of attack.

It was more of a mini-transportation hub where goods such as beaver hides, other types of furs and trade goods were temporarily stored before being sent on to the larger forts, or dispersed to customers further down the trail. Due to the fact that the internal combustion engine would not be invented for at least another hundred years, the primary form of drayage, the hauling of freight by other that humans carrying it on their backs, was by donkey and mule. Since there were few roads in the area and travel was primarily by trails which were often just rocky steep paths, donkeys and mules were the most efficient forms of haulage at your disposal, if you will.

Normally loading the donkey was pretty straightforward. You needed three guys for the task. One big guy to press down on the donkey’s back to keep it from unexpectedly leaping into the air ruining the plans to load it, another guy to lift the heavy bales of pressed furs to go on the donkeys back, and a third smaller guy to watch and take notes. And the donkey of course. Bales weighing tons of pounds were placed on the donkeys back until its legs just began to bow then tied tightly (the bales not the donkey’s legs) so they wouldn’t slip off if the donkey managed to be able to do anything but shuffle forward. That’s why the big guy was needed as some donkeys would be aware of this whole loading and walking thing and would try to avoid it by hiding, playing dead, disguising itself as a large neighborhood dog, or the tried and true method of leaping into the air unexpectedly until the traders gave up in disgust and went to storehouse for some whiskey.

The donkey above is a new donkey and hasn’t learned any of those tricks yet, but the men are taking no chances anyway. Once the bales are loaded on its back there’s none of this leaping up in the air and so on. It’ll be lucky its legs stay on or don’t sink into the ground. These were considered the short haul vehicles of the day as they were easily maneuvered thru tight canyons, up rocky ledges, down boulder strewn paths and able to take very tight turns with ease. All in all the best choice for this type of freighting.

It’s A New Day

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Around about the first Week in June the cow elk head up into the high brush to drop their calves. They leave the protection of the herd to individually find that spot they picked out for this years birthing. Many births results in twins and the cow stays up in her protected place until the calves are big enough and are ready to head down and rejoin the herd.

As this is a favorite time for the grizzlies and wolves to seek out the newborn calves, hiding means saving many of the calves from becoming dinner for the hungry predators. Nature in its own inscrutable way provides many checks and balances. Replenishing the herds on one hand and on the other side providing sustenance for the predators. All designed to keep things on an even keel.

Today however, it’s a new day and the family heads on down into the valley and meadows to join the other new additions to seek safety in the herd by adding to its numbers, thereby raising the odds of keeping the newborns safe. Her strategy worked this time by keeping her calves well hidden from danger and now it’s up to luck and the caprice of nature as to what happens next.

Girls Who Bake

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Everyone had a job to do around the fort. It wasn’t a hobby or a pastime it was a responsibility and it started early. Young people were taught a necessary skill, actually many of them, and became very proficient with them. As roles were defined at that time, girls learned the domestic skills necessary to run a home and family, and boys hunted and fished and developed their own particular set of skills. Things may be different in these modern times but back then that was how it was.

Girls, or young women like these, performed a very necessary function even at a young age as you can see by the wonderful loaves of bread and other baked goods they created on their own with little adult supervision. Their accomplishments with what seem to us very limited tools are amazing and no wonder they were very proud of their abilities, as well they should be. Girls who bake, another example of life in the 1800’s.

In Need Of Some Preachin’

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Life was fragile in the old west. You could die from damn near anything and people did. From the simplest fever that turned into your last cough, to being on the receiving end of an errant bullet. Infant mortality was high and old age meant you were nearing your late 40’s. All of this put a man in mind of his own mortality and what could he do to make sure he eased out of it in a manner that gave him the best chance at whatever was next in store for him.

Everybody read the good book, those that could read of course, and those that couldn’t, got read to. But to really cement the deal one had to attend church. That’s where you made sure you got put on the right trail towards salvation and redemption. This was extremely important because you were alive for a while but dead a long time, and those with the ability to look forward at all realized you better get your ducks in a row if you were going to be one of those that made it to the pearly gates and had a ticket to get in.

As you approached those lofty heights of your late 40’s and later and saw that there was going to be an end to being here on this mortal coil you took steps, and those steps were making sure you attended church whenever you could. No matter how you lived your life up to this point you still had the chance of grabbing the gold ring piety-wise if you put some effort into it. Plus some times you just needed some preachin’. You went in, sat down and put all earthly thoughts away and proceeded to make whatever deal you could make to assure you wouldn’t be headed the wrong way and wind up where that no good, louse ridden, son of a very bad woman that stole your horse was going.

Cheek turning aside, you would work on that forgiveness thing if it meant easing your way to the right path. That was one of the benefits of churching. You could work through some of those things. And if you sort of shot the guy who stole your horse cause he really, really needed shooting, then of course you were absolutely in need of some preachin’ and if you were lucky you stayed above ground long enough to make up for it. After all what counts is what you are at the end.

Ridge Riders

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The sun is brutally hot without a hint of a breeze to break the heat rising from the baked earth. The riders ride single file, both man and beast constantly watching for danger. The only sounds to be heard are the occasional hoof hitting a rock and the creak of saddle leather as the riders weight shifts forward from climbing up the ridge. This is dangerous country. Everybody in the party but especially the lead rider is constantly on the alert for the slightest sign that something might not be right. A broken branch on a rabbit bush, a rock laying wrong on the trail, a ravens alarm call plus a 6th sense that something’s not right, any or all of these things could spell disaster for the troop if not observed and taken into account. These are old hands in this country and not likely to be caught unaware. This isn’t the first ridge they’ve ridden and if they’re careful it won’t be their last.

Abigail and Issac

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Ft. Uncompahgre was not a fortified fort in the sense that it had big thick adobe walls like Old Bent’s fort down the trail a ways. It was mostly a place where trading could take place, things could be stored, families could live in the surrounding area while the men were off doing a job of work, and due to its good relations with their neighbors a pretty safe place to live.

Which meant that there were mothers and children there much of the time. When you added their small voices and activities to the work-a-day mix you had a lively place whose bustle and excitement were constant. There were quiet times too, times when you just grabbed one of little ones and took a rest from everything around you. That’s what Abigail and Issac are doing at this moment.

The Guide

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Back around Fort Uncompahgre in the early days if you were new to the area and you wanted to go out to make your fortune, you would best be advised to acquire a suitable guide. One that not only knew the area but knew the tribes and how they were particularly feeling at the moment. Did they feel peckish about folks wandering around in their hunting grounds, or were they amenable to visitors if they behaved themselves. That knowledge could be invaluable if you were to unexpectedly meet some of the locals.

This was knowledge that was normally gained the hard way on your own with little chance of a do over if you screwed it up. A good guide could mean the difference between success, which was measured not only materially, but in whether you stayed alive or not, always a desired outcome.

A good guide was measured by many things. Did he appear to be a sober, substantial individual with a good grasp of the country and current conditions. Did he have all of his natural hair. Spots on his head minus hair were acceptable if they occurred naturally but were to be avoided at all cost if they appeared to be gone due to native surgery. Always ask the prospective guide to remove his hat before entering into serious negotiating.

The fellow above is one of the good guides, one of the best actually. Honest, intelligent, a man of few vices, smoking was not considered a vice, nor was spitting unless you were down wind of him. Drunken brawling in your Union suit was considered very bad form, but he was never seen engaging in that behavior so he had an excellent reputation and was sought after if he was in residence at the fort. Dependable, that’s what he was known for. And he didn’t beat his mules.

A good guide meant the difference between a successful trip where you’d finish above the grass or an unsuccessful one, where you’d get to meet some of the Utes who were mostly friendly, and maybe the Shoshone who were not so much, who could give you a more scary outcome. So be advised, if you’re headed out Ft Uncompahgre way and want to make sure you have a good trip check out the guide situation and if you’re lucky hire this guy.