I received a p.m. from Roztocke today, and he thought it would be fun to start a thread that would have hand forged mountain man traps and trade axes in the thread. I believe there is quite a few of you guys that have those items. So let's see them. The first item I'm going to show is a trade axe that I found in Canada at an antique store.

Some trade axes,spears,trap setter, ice chisel,fleshing tools made from broken trap springs and a few traps!

Very cool stuff Roztocki. Thanks for posting these wonderful collectables. Greg

Neat stuff

This thread interests me

The oldest trap I have is a NH I've been told is from 1878. Nowhere near as old as these. Thanks guys.

Ole'Smoke if you get a chance take a photo and put it on here. Greg

Keep it going guys! Anything from the mountain man era interests me! I've become an (almost) 100% flintlock and traditional long bow hunter. Thats big game, small game, and waterfowl. I've also been interested in the traps but never got my hands on a forged iron trap.

This past October my wife and I visited the U.P. of Michigan for a few days,while there I purchased a hand forged trap about a#4 size with some very small teeth. Single spring,no chain and the pan is half rusted away,just a wall hanger.But a great reminder of our trip to Manistique and some beautiful country.

Here is a photo of a handforged trap that I bought several years ago. Actually my wife found it! The trap only has one spring, but, the interesting feature about the trap is that it has U.S. stamped on the pan. My best guess is this. In 1795 the federal government started up a chain of Indian factories, what were later know as the Department of Indian Trade. The first two of these Indian factories were set up in what is now Georgia and Tennessee. It's sorta hard to say if my guess is correct. If anyone else has an thought, please post it. Greg

Thanks guys for posting. We will keep digging for more. This is stuff I've accumulated for many years. Most of it came from northern minnesota.

A beaver trap used by Daniel Boone.

Now in the West Virginia State Museum

Really cool trap. Thanks for showing.

Here is a photo of a Halladay trap. Philo Halladay was a New York blacksmith who made traps up to bear size. In the 1850 U.S. Census it lists Halladay as a 54 year old blacksmith.

Keep it coming.

Can you show the eyes on some of the trade axes? I'm curious if they folded and welded a strap or used some other method to make it.

Matt

NICE STUFF! Thanks for sharing

Not all axes are marked, in fact it seems most are not.This larger axe was found on leech lake MN. The spike style one I found while bear hunting in the late eighties near finlayson, mn. I would not want to be on the receiving end of that one. The trap is the only one I've seen with one nut and hook in jaws, probably for ease of transport or repair.

I have been watching these posts of old traps and really enjoyed them, this is the only forged trap I own I bought off ebay on a whim when ebay was brand new I can't see any marks or stamps on it and the springs are spongy




it's so cool to hold a trapper from the past's trap and wonder

That is a beautiful trap, not many had teeth. Thanks for sharing!

roztucki,
That spike style looks like a pickaroon.

I have an old trap that was give to me that my bro-n-law found in a shaker machine for an asphalt co. I can't read anything on it need to give it a good vinegar bath and see exactly what it is. These pictures are nice thanks for sharing!

Awesome pics guys...thanks for sharing them!!

Heavy metal

Please, please, please do NOT give that old trap a vinegar bath. You will destroy the patina and decrease the value by as much as 50%. Old traps are supposed to be rusty.

Please the pan with warm water and an old toothbrush to see if that helps. If not, post some pictures here. Hopefully some of the trap gurus can tell you what it is by features on the trap. Then you will know about what it is worth without ruining the trap.

Humptulips, it does look like a pickaroon, and maybe it is.I found it at a known indian site and it looks pre logging to me, not sure?

Useless Eater that's a really cool old trap!

Occasionally you see a trap and axe with similar markings.These I beleive are british, probably northwest co. The ss I think are trading post markings. There is a illegible stamp on the pan of the trap which I think is a maker mark. The axe, along with the ss stamp, also has the british crown. The discoloring on the trap is paint over spray from sitting on someones work bench. If anyone has info on a trading post where the ss might have been used, please post. Thanks!

Roztocki, Where did that trap setter come from?

It came from a cass lake fur trade camp site in northern minnesota on private land.

Thanks so much!

Here is another fur trade HF trap.Please share your old traps and axes on this thread. Collecting and sharing these artifacts is preserving our heritage!!

Some great pictures, I enjoy this.

I bought this off Johney Thorpe quiete a few years ago. He said he found it buried in an old stone wall fence on the military road in Stoney Creek. He thought maybe it was used by troops when felling trees because of its size. no marking that i can find..

similar to lukes trap

can anyone tell me about this trap

Hi Jonesy, It's really hard to tell with most early handforged traps who made them if there is no maker's mark. I can tell you that you have a really cool trap. Otter04, you have a neat axe. Greg

the only id on the trap is the hole in the pan... no stamps. no letters

I want to see more please

EN WOODCOCK BEAR TRAP Built for Mr. Woodcock by the local blacksmith Almeron Lyman Potter County, PA

This Photo shows Mr. Woodcocks traps amd The second shows my trap on his shoulder and his partner (seated) holding the detachable pan..

Never seen one with the base like that. I am going to try to read the Woodcock book online.

Nice

all very nice traps!

46 INCHS LONG WEIGHS 29 LBS

this is the greatest post ever, thanks for sharing boys, I love trade axes

matt

nyrat, incredible trap!!!!!!

TTT

matt

Just got this trap off of ebay. It was orginally a single spring trap, that someone added a second spring, and moved the older, weaker spring to the off side.

Came out of Montana, no makers marks, but found 2 different owners marks

Has anyone on TM forged a double long spring???

Absolutely a great thread.

I have such an interest in old school hardware like this, and I definitely dig anything to do with our trapping roots. I am a huge fan of the Fur Trade era and I would go overboard collecting it, if I didn't stop myself! I have a display setup with old blankets, buff robe, trunk, traps, flintlock, trade beads, old bottles, whiskey and powder kegs etc. etc. etc. Though I do not have a digital camera working at the moment, all I could find is two old trap pics of a couple I have. I was starting to put fur trade stuff on a shelf to clean before I put in my display, and just snapped a pic of the two common style of beaver traps back in the day. Sorry for the non detailed, terrible pics, but it's all I got right now.

You guys have some really cool early fur trade items! ryanktm17, if that beautiful trap could only talk what stories it would tell. Greg

Here is a photo of a Standish trade axe. Part of the Standish stamping shows. Greg

amazing finds! I am really enjoying this thread!

Anyone have anymore?

This is great! Really interesting. Out of curiosity, does it look like the chains on some of the hand forged traps are forged too? Or maybe purchased?

Thanks,
Cody

very nice

The spike ones are called "Picaroons" and were used to drag/haul logs around.

At the time period that most of these old beaver and bear traps were made (late 1700s to early 1800s) there was little mass production of them. Most traps were forged and assembled one at a time in small farm or factory shops, we're they forged there own chains as well. Some of these old forged traps you see these days, may have had a machined chain added to them at one point in time, but are not original.

Out of curiosity, how do you date them?

Dating old hand forged traps can be difficult, as they almost never have a date on them, and if they did, it is usually unledgable. So, one must find a makers stamp somewhere on the trap. Between that and the trap design, are pretty much what you got to go on. A makers mark will give the chance to look up where and between what two periods of time the traps were most likely made. Without a makers mark though, it really makes for a more broad guesstimate. I was fortunate to have Mr. James Hanson of the Museum of the Fur Trade, look at some of mine, and the one without a visible stamp on it, was dated 1790 to the early 1800s. How he figured this, I assume cause he has looked at hundreds of these old "Fur Trade" era traps..... I however, have not. So again, without a makers stamp or having an expert look at them, it's a fairly broad guess I'd say.

Thanks... I figured you took them out to dinner, and maybe a movie...

I inherited this old boy when my wife's grand father passed away in 1968,,,26" long,10 1/2" jaw spread,,,note how the jaw posts are forged onto the base,,,probally my favorite trap,,

The traps you cannot take apart, like PaulB's trap, tend to be earlier. The trapper would have to take to fur post smithy for repairs,unlike the bolted traps, they could be repaired in the field(broken spring,jaws etc.).It seems most traps made after 1800 were the bolted variety.

The cross is also forged into the base,,,does this mean my trap is almost as old as Cascade?

Probably not nearly as old as cascade, however they did forge bases in one piece as late as the 1860's.

Thought I'd resurrect an old thread and get an opinion or two on this trap.

There no marks on it that I can find. Can you date it based on the pics?

Moosetrot

Based on the pics, I'd say January 30, 2018

I haven't looked up "vintage" in the dictionary but I guess that would qualify. Depending on who you ask.

Just guessing but I would say the base and jaws before 1870s and the springs and chain after the 1880s...

Thanks for the input. The uniformity of the springs were throwing me off.