| Rocky Mountain Rendezvous | |
|---|---|
 Typical rendezvous scene | |
| Status | No longer held |
| Begins | Early summer |
| Ends | Mid-summer |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Location(s) | Various |
| Years active | 1825 – 1840 |
| Founder | William Henry Ashley |
| Participants | Fur trappers & merchants |
The Rocky Mountain Rendezvous was an annual rendezvous, held between 1825 and 1840 at various locations, organized by a fur trading company at which trappers and mountain men sold their furs and hides and replenished their supplies. The fur companies assembled teamster-driven mule trains which carried whiskey and supplies to a pre-announced location each spring-summer and set up a trading fair (the rendezvous). At the end of the rendezvous, the teamsters packed the furs out, either to Fort Vancouver in the Pacific Northwest for the British companies or to one of the northern Missouri River ports such as St. Joseph, Missouri, for American companies. Early explorer and trader Jacques La Ramee organized a group of independent free trappers to the first ever gathering as early as 1815 at the junction of the North Platte and Laramie Rivers after befriending numerous native American tribes.
Rendezvous were known to be lively, joyous places, where all were allowed—fur trappers, Indians, native trapper wives and children, harlots, travelers and later tourists—who would venture from as far as Europe to observe the festivities. James Beckwourth describes: "Mirth, songs, dancing, shouting, trading, running, jumping, singing, racing, target-shooting, yarns, frolic, with all sorts of extravagances that white men or Indians could invent."[1]
Rendezvous are still celebrated as gatherings of like-minded individuals. The fur trading rendezvous are celebrated by traditional black-powder rifle clubs in the U.S. and Canada. These events range from small gatherings sponsored by local clubs to large gatherings like the Pacific Primitive Rendezvous, the Rocky Mountain National Rendezvous, and others. They include many activities similar to the originals, centering on shooting muzzle-loading rifles, trade guns, and shotguns; throwing knives and tomahawks; primitive archery; as well as cooking, dancing, singing, and the telling of tall tales and of past rendezvous. Personas taken on by participants include trappers, traders, housewives, Native Americans, frontiersmen, free-trappers and others, including soldiers.
Although the original style of rendezvous are now unnecessary and no longer occur, in their memory various Wyoming towns and cities (especially ones where rendezvous previously occurred) will put on local festivals resembling town fairs. There may also be another section of this festival dedicated to more traditional item buying, selling and activities. Some of the things sold here may include arrowheads, fans, various animal hides, walking sticks, carvings, knives, whistles, and handcrafted jewelry.
- ^ Bonner, Thomas D. (1856). The Life and Adventures of James P. Beckwourth, Mountaineer, Scout, and Pioneer, and Chief of the Crow Nation of Indians. With Illustrations. Written from His Own Dictation. New York: New York. p. 107. Retrieved 2 August 2014.