Rendezvous supplies, "Mountain Prices", exploding caps, Coffee ... &c.

[Hawken]

I recently stumbled upon a really nice website about the Fur Trapper era of the American West, particularly w/ published online historical accounts and journals. Really some amazing accounts of some generally really hard core individuals.

MOUNTAIN MEN AND THE FUR TRADE

I'm sure all you guys are familiar with this, or if not you would want to be. I had some passing knowledge of the stories of hardships borne in those days (by everyone, Indian & Trapper alike). For example John Colter, Hugh Glass, and similar, but to read the details on some of these is very sobering.

Couple things I found interesting. One participant on a westward trek wrote that upon entering the high country, that the dry air (static, presumably) led to randomly exploding percussion caps, and they resorted to generally leaving their weapons uncapped except at the moment of firing, or only for overnight guard duty and readiness purposes. Anybody ever heard this? I don't doubt the guy, no reason to lie I guess, just that it seems so improbable on the other hand. Were percussion caps manufactured with different compounds then?

Another interesting angle I hadn't thought of too much was the cost of luxury goods, which have always heen expensive, and trade. I found it interesting by way of background that Lewis & Clark purchased 50 pounds of green coffee for their expedition to the pacific coast.

That might sound like a lot, but considering the size'and duration of the operation this was woefully inadequate. Clearly coffee wasn't an Army "issue" item like flour, meal, or whiskey was, but maybe in this instance it was the Capt's stash. And very carefully rationed. Supposedly, they still had some left in 1805 on the coast. Now coffee isn't necessary for human survival (I would argue this point) so maybe it is understandable they didn't bring a ton of it.

By the Rendezvous era things hadn't improved much, there were after all no Starbucks in the Wind River range. Apparently about $2 a "pint" which was a pretty stout price in those days. This leads me to a related question.

The various Indian nations were constantly seeking basic items to trade that were made available - Tobacco, ammunition, kettles, vermillion, beads, awls, knives, blankets, etc. And ... "milk". Whiskey. Fire water.

But the journals and trappers and settler accounts are silent on Coffee and the Indians - did they not like it? Didn't see the point of it? Just thought that was curious is all.

 

[tenngun]

I recently stumbled upon a really nice website about the Fur Trapper era of the American West, particularly w/ published online historical accounts and journals. Really some amazing accounts of some generally really hard core individuals.

MOUNTAIN MEN AND THE FUR TRADE

I'm sure all you guys are familiar with this, or if not you would want to be. I had some passing knowledge of the stories of hardships borne in those days (by everyone, Indian & Trapper alike). For example John Colter, Hugh Glass, and similar, but to read the details on some of these is very sobering.

Couple things I found interesting. One participant on a westward trek wrote that upon entering the high country, that the dry air (static, presumably) led to randomly exploding percussion caps, and they resorted to generally leaving their weapons uncapped except at the moment of firing, or only for overnight guard duty and readiness purposes. Anybody ever heard this? I don't doubt the guy, no reason to lie I guess, just that it seems so improbable on the other hand. Were percussion caps manufactured with different compounds then?

Another interesting angle I hadn't thought of too much was the cost of luxury goods, which have always heen expensive, and trade. I found it interesting by way of background that Lewis & Clark purchased 50 pounds of green coffee for their expedition to the pacific coast.

That might sound like a lot, but considering the size'and duration of the operation this was woefully inadequate. Clearly coffee wasn't an Army "issue" item like flour, meal, or whiskey was, but maybe in this instance it was the Capt's stash. And very carefully rationed. Supposedly, they still had some left in 1805 on the coast. Now coffee isn't necessary for human survival (I would argue this point) so maybe it is understandable they didn't bring a ton of it.

By the Rendezvous era things hadn't improved much, there were after all no Starbucks in the Wind River range. Apparently about $2 a "pint" which was a pretty stout price in those days. This leads me to a related question.

The various Indian nations were constantly seeking basic items to trade that were made available - Tobacco, ammunition, kettles, vermillion, beads, awls, knives, blankets, etc. And ... "milk". Whiskey. Fire water.

But the journals and trappers and settler accounts are silent on Coffee and the Indians - did they not like it? Didn't see the point of it? Just thought that was curious is all.

Coffee has its history back in time. We can’t say when it was first drank but it became popular in the Muslim world because wine was a sin
Drunkenness is a Christian sun but not drinking. Monks were famous for beer and invented brandy.
Coffee entered Western European about the same time tea did. And coming from close by was a little cheaper. Coffee houses would spring up but tea was the sophisticated drink.
Tea and chocolate far out sold coffee in America until the revolution. Even after beer was the preferred breakfast drink and had health benefits in terms of useful calories and nutritional factors.
Coffee remained more of a treat until anti drinking campaign started about 1830.
Coffee wouldn’t start getting real popular with Indians until the 1870s when it became a part of rations given to the tribes
I can certainly appreciate not having a capped gun. We like to picture the frontier and the west beyond the pale as a dangerous place ‘war’ there were a redskin ‘hind every bush ‘n rock awaiting to lift your har’. Most of the time they were in a group moving or in camp tending to their kills or equipment. Hunters did most of the hunting, and except for setting traps and running the lines they were rarely vey far from support in a fight.
Indians were few in number and wide spread. While personally brave they didn’t want to take a chance getting killed if they could avoid it. Fighting white men only happened when force or if they could catch one when all the advantages were on their side. There was much less forest in the west then today and finding a place where one could ambush a brigade and be able to make off with their goods would have been very difficult
So for day to day life a loaded but uncapped gun near by makes a lot of sense. Since in times of danger one would have plenty of time to cap up

 

[Hawken]

I agree, it is obviously safer in broad terms, but I've never heard specifically that "dry air" aka static charges would set off percussion caps (and thus presumably, the gun itself) this would be extremely troublesome.

I mean, sure maybe. Can't discount the possibility at all, clearly the author felt that it was common enough as cause for comment, probably not a one off or freak occurance. But I've never heard of this before.

 

[Phil Coffins]

Caps were made with a different compound that unlike todays caps were very corrosive. I hadn’t read about them going off randomly. Which thread did you find that in? And thanks for the link.

 

[William Sublette]

 

[Hawken]

Yeah, I knew somebody was going to ask that! I've been binge reading several of them, they are all good. If I find the author I will post it. It has to be from journals written around 1840 or later, isn't that when percussion caps became widespread?