Over the weekend I was at an indoor living history trade fair in Oshkosh, WI. The gun club I am a member of had a table and I manned it all weekend. Just a little display of the buckskinning stuff we do. Had fun, met lots of people.

Will you be at the one in kalamazoo in March?

Thats great to see , we had a long rifle get-together here in my town a couple weeks back . seen some cool stuff , its about like everything else nowadays mostly the older guys cause younger ones have no interest.

As an attendee both days, yes. We don't have a table there.




Yep, same here. Most guys are well into their retirement years.

Nice display, Kyle. Couldn't make it this year. Penny from Kentucky Leather & Hides was going to set up in the corner where I was the last couple of years. How was attendance? Was there something going on around the other side? I recall there was some talk last year of maybe having a gun show or swap meet?

Missed you this year. Kentucky hide and leather was there, I bought a nice side of oil tanned from them for some more shooting bags.

Attendance was real good on Saturday. The vendors I talked to said they had a really good saturday.

Sunday was light, like usual.

There was a sportsmen's rummage sale in the other room. Guns, knives, optics, ammo, reloading fishing, etc. Like a tailgater section at the conventions.

I found an unopened box of Blake and Lamb #11's for $75. I was happy with that.

I attended Saturday with two others. I got full side of leather for my son. I think it was from Kentucky hide and leather, it was a good deal. The other two guys left with knives, hatchets. I saw most people carrying items they purchased. I stopped at the Fox Valley ML table and was impressed, great display.

Hope to hear the side show will return. Oshkosh Trade Fair like so many others used to be wall to wall vendors and shoppers especially on Saturday. Maybe shoppers who came for the side show will return with friends next year.

Penny Wayne and sons Cody and Dillon are quality folks to work with for any of your leather needs. I get all my lacing from them. Expertly cut and always exactly what I need. Typical XL beaver requires 45-55 feet of continuous lacing the way I hoop 'em. Never disappointed.

Nice score on the Blake and lambs k snow.
I love looking at the buckskinning stuff. Makes me dream of times I would have like to have lived in

I like to play in those times in my free time, but modern medicine, plumbing and heat are sure nice to have.

Nice,
Good display!

Very nice !!!

Would love to make it to Gunmakers Hall...in Friendship Indiana one of these days

Great looking display. I'll bet folks really enjoyed that.

Best make it soon. Things are going the way of most organizations down there. Sure nothing like what it was when I started going in the late 70's.

K Snow, I watched this video a few days ago and thought of you.



I've watched a few more of Frontier Trading Company's videos since and they have all been enjoyable.

Keith

The Oshkosh Trade Fair! Brings back some great memories from many years in the 80's! Great times for sure! Wonderful way to start the year.

Back then I ran Black Otter Trading Company. Used to spend a lot of good times with Brian Bradley of Bradley Company of the Fox as well as some of the best folks around. Made a lot of friends and actually made a lot of money there as I had a pretty good spread of trade goods. Had to sell out in the late 80's due to a bad car accident.

I just might have to drive over there next year!

Moosetrot (aka The Great Black Otter...or Black Odor)

Heard there’s gonna be a deal in Danbury this weekend. I’m reading George Nelson’s first years in the fur trade for the umpteenth time and got to researching online a bit. Sounds like a really neat place to have a show. Snowshoe muzzle loading contest should be something. Primitive biathlon!! Someone go and take pics and video I’m too far away

That looks like a great event. Bit of a haul for me too. Not any snow here really.

Keith,

That was a pretty good video, I'll have to watch more of his.

I have done quite a bit of winter camping. Coldest I ever been I was about 12. Boy scout trip. Had a surplus WWII army down filled sleeping bag. No idea what the temperature got down to but it was bad. We were all cold. Up before dawn the scout master built a big fire. We drank hot tea and waited for the sun. Neither me or anyone else had ever heard of ground insulation.

Sleeping in a small hollow with no fire would be awful. Don't know if I am tough enough to have been a rocky mountain trapper in the early 1800's.