Tag Archives: 1830’s

Tortuga la Rouge

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Tortuga la Rouge – Iroquois

To borrow a title from the renown author Robert Heinlein, who we have here is another Stranger in a Strange Land. Like Valentine Michael Smith he is a traveler from a far off place brought from the land of the Iroquois to the furthest reaches of the West to attend a rendezvous in the 1830’s Rocky Mountains.

During the 1830’s it was extremely unusual to have a representative from one of the Eastern tribes be present at a rendezvous set in the area of the plains and inner mountain tribes. How he got there is due primarily to the fur trade. He was attached to the Hudson Bay fur company which was well established in the area where the Iroquois and other eastern tribes were settled. As the Hudson Bay company moved west he traveled with them. Upon reaching the mountains he deserted and joined up with a competitive American trapping party who took part in the rendezvous and so, was able to attend the event. He must have been a curiosity for the other attendees especially for the other tribes who very likely had never seen another Native American from a place over a thousand miles away to the East.

He is dressed in the style of his people at the time, circa 1760 and later, and his finery as he described it, includes a peace metal that was presented to the attendees of the Treaty of Easton by the Quaker parties. The earring and nose pendant are of the Quahog shells or Wampum. The turban, horn strap and bag are woven with the beads in the weave itself. The knife sheath is decorated with dyed porcupine quillwork. There are some trade silver brooches on the shirt and he is carrying an incredible *Presentation Pipe tomahawk forged from an old gun barrel. All in all an imposing figure.

The rendezvous were huge events for the mountain men and Indians of the Rocky mountains where they spent their time trapping furs throughout the year. It was their most important gathering where they could resupply, blow off some steam, and visit with old friends. And sometimes meet strangers from a strange land.

*The Incredible Presentation Pipe was actually made by the reenactor himself, Tortuga la Rouge, by forging it out of an old gun barrel. The skill that this took is amazing and reflects the lengths the participants of these events go to maintain authenticity and honor the traditions and customs of the people they represent.

Mules and the Art of Pipe Lighting

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It may be hard for us to fathom now days but back in the 1830’s people smoked. They smoked cigarettes, cigars, pipes, sometimes bark, Indians smoked kinnikinic and they smoked it in anything that could hold tobacco. It wasn’t frowned upon or looked down on, people didn’t come up to a smoker and say “Hey! Put that out don’t you know second hand smoke is a major cause of cancer !?!” The ‘you imbecile’ being understood. In fact doing something that rash just might get you a lit cigar in the eyeball.

With all that smoking going on there were numerous ways to light your tobacco in whatever smoking device you employed. Back East and in certain bawdy houses you had matches made with sulphurous coated heads you struck on your enemies unshaven whiskery face to get them to burst into flame, the match not the enemy, right before the fight started. (See early spaghetti westerns for reference)

As you moved further West you didn’t have matches as they were hard to keep dry, they ran out and they made you look like a sissy if you used them. You could pull a burning twig out of the fire to light up and that worked great. It wasn’t much good when you were on the move however. One of the best uses of technology of the day and the most efficient form of tobacco ignition was the use of a magnifying glass. You just held it up for the sun to shine through it then pointed it at the tobacco and before you could say “Hey! Is that an Indian?” you were smoking. Usually about 2-3″ in diameter the magnifying glass hung in a custom made pouch around the smokers neck for easy use. It wasn’t just for burning ants anymore.

However since this was a form of technology there was a certain amount of science involved in its use. You needed a steady hand to use it. If you were standing on the ground you could lean up against something solid, a building, a rock, a tree, maybe someone steadier than you and aim the glass at your pipe. You could do it freestyle, and some did, but you needed to be sober to do it. Otherwise improper alignment could burn a hole in your fore finger before someone mentioned that you were on fire. Also as you had to carefully look at the point of ignition at the top of your pipe this could make you cross-eyed and dizzy and go all over wonky of a sudden. The results of that happening are too numerous to mention here.

The real trick however was to light your pipe while atop your mule. This is where a well trained mule was not only essential but mandatory if you wanted to light your pipe without dismounting. The mule had to be of a scientific nature to begin with, just any old mule out of the barn wouldn’t do. Many were bred just for their ability to recognize a scientific act in the raw and figure out how it could assist its rider in a way that would be the most beneficial to them both. This was done by the mule for a couple of reasons, one, to learn science and technology to enhance its life and two, to get extra oats as a reward. Mules being quick to learn soon saw the benefit of being the most help it could be. They found the extra oats to be a welcome stimulation to their mind and digestive track. There were some mules that were so smart and got so many rewards in the form of oats and other high calorie grains and legumes that you were seeing mules weighing 31 to 3200 lbs. standing in the corrals. Obviously these mules were then used for breeding purposes and not for normal drayage anymore.

In the image above you see how this system worked. You have a vaquero in desperate need of a smoke, his pipe in his mouth and his hand holding the magnifying glass up and pointed at the exact angle needed at sun, ready to suck in a big lungful of smoke as soon as it ignites. What you may not have taken in however is the work that the mule is doing to facilitate this procedure. Look at the way it has positioned the rider so he is at the correct angle needed for full ignition of the tobacco. See him studying the sun shining on the bright green grass watching for any change in its movement. Should a cloud come up casting a shadow over the rider the mule can move forward keeping the maximum amount of concentrated sun power passing through the magnifying glass. This is a well trained mule. It is also a valuable one as its worth to the smoking vaquero can barely be measured in money. Life was tough for those living during those times but as always is the case there were those that made it easier. Having a well trained mule that was adept at the art of pipe lighting made life better.

Scouting New Country

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During the 1830’s there was a lot of movement by those courageous men seeking opportunities in the west. Trappers, traders, adventurers, and others, stricken with the desire and wanderlust of being first to see what was over the next mountain, or lying at the bottom of the innumerable valleys between them. What riches could be found, what adventures were lurking just around the next bend waiting to change their lives forever.

Everything was new to them and usually dangerous. This group of men on the scout were picking their way through the high country, perhaps looking for new trade routes, or a likely place where gold or silver might be found. Or possibly marking the area where the Indians had set up their camps as places to be avoided.

One thing for certain, they were the ones scouting this new country for whatever opportunities presented themselves in this time where new beginnings could bring wealth and a better life in this big, new country of the West.