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***Warning Long Read***
Historical correctness....
Can mean many things to many different people.
Roughly it means :
Being dressed , equipped and doing things in a way , that would not attract much attention during a particular time period...
Often at a specific place in time.
It can even be a 'So What" or "Who cares".
After all it is really the 21st century....
And as seen below expensive in terms of both time and money.
If you are into muzzle loading , just for the fun of it or as a way to extend your hunting season...
Then being historically correct , probably ain't high on your list of things to do.*
Which is fine , not everyone wants to be historically correct.
Luckily for us there ain't no law that says you have to be...
I am posting some things below , to consider when being historically correct.
Please note that these things are just my thoughts and experiences.
They are not meant as The Way To Do Things...or to be read as Andy's Way or the Highway....
The firearms themselves often need looking at or worked on.
This includes both most off the shelf models...and many custom firearms.
Things that are often used or done but may be problematic are :
Coil springs for a main spring...
Sights that are too tall....
Carving that ain't period correct or that is too perfectly done..
This not to say that carving should be sloppy ...
I am saying that some modern carving is too precise for carving of the 18th or 19th century.....
The same can be said of inletting...
Modern stock and metal finishes....
Modern trends that tend to get copied...but which are seldom seen on antique firearms...
All of this means getting a new firearm..Then taking a file , screwdriver or other tool to it....
And then proceed to "fix" it...which takes a degree of skill to do well.
Just how a firearm was shot...was different.
Many folks nowadays , use a far too tight patch and ball combo , as well as a short starter , range rod and priming powder .
The last if a flintlock is used.
This was not done historically.
At best some things like short starters were hinted at...but none of the above was in common use during the 18th or 19th century.
Clothing is also an issue...
The clothes make the man , as the old saying goes , hold true here.
Laced together , chrome tanned leather with glued on plastic beads , just wasn't done.
Nor was the wearing of a dead critter for a hat , very popular.
Brain tan , bark tan or other natural tanned leather is a good choice...
However...it is expensive.
And....
Depending on the time and place...not even a historically correct option.
Edwin Denig , the factor ( Guy in charge ) of Ft. Union , wouldn't let folks into his mess hall unless they were dressed for meals.
As in a tie / cravat and clean clothes ...a suit and tie as one would say.
If you weren't dressed that way...no soup for you!
Remember this was in the wilds of the upper Missouri circa 1840.
Also worth noting , was that if you didn't have accepted clothes...You could rent such things at Ft.Union during this time period.
Anything to make a buck...ain't a new idea.
Another thing worth understanding is that no fur trader or trapper wore plains style war shirts....
Imagine if you will...
Timmy the Fur Trader....wearing a Mandan war shirt....comes across a Cheyenne hunting party or encampment...
Just how well received will he be...after all he is wearing a war shirt from an enemy tribe...yikes.
Clothing was as a general rule....
Plain , serviceable and of common materials , be they leather or fabric like wool or linen...even cotton at various times and places.
Sources used when looking up just what was done historically can be a challenge.
Far too often many historians can't keep themselves out of the book...and do things like :
Judge folks and their actions , which were the "standard" of the time , against modern values and the such...
Or are too quick to read into or take offense at a term ...this is not to say that one should use such terms nowadays...
Just be understanding that some terms that were used may not have been seen as an issue , then..as opposed to now.
First person accounts are a great source.
However...
They too can be problematic.
When were they written ?
What one thinks and feels right after an event ...may be different 20 or more years later.
Who wrote it ?
Many folks couldn't read or write...so....some accounts , written by an author with an eye for flair , may embellish a tale.
Writing styles of the 18th and 19th century can be ....interesting to say the least.
FedEx , UPS and others did not exist...
Just because something was invented in 1820....does not mean that it was in use on the frontier in 1820.
It took awhile for things to catch on...or to get from place to place.
What was in common use at Ft. Union in 1838....may not have been the same at Bent's Fort.
Also related is the common thought : "If they had it...they would have used it."
Which brings us to the below....
Historical allowances ....
Here is a tricky one.
What does one overlook...or even allow at so called pre-1840 **events...?
If one were to be strict about not allowing items that ain't pre-1840 at such events...
Then not a whole Hell of a lot folks would or could show up.
Period correct food was monotonous...Salt pork , a little bit of flour and coffee was the usual meal for a trapper when game was scarce or hunting not an option.
Horse flesh , dog and even other people were on the menu at times...
So...non period food and ways of cooking it..allowed or not...?
Health issues....
Dying of smallpox , poor medical practices and the like wasn't unheard of...
Allergy pills , aspirin and toilet paper sure come in handy....do we allow those..?
Age issues...
I have a great friend...who is in his 70's...
He sleeps on a air mattress (Covered by wool blankets ) ...should I tell him he can't play...?
Speaking of sleeping...
Most trappers and traders , when not at a fort or Indian encampment , slept out in the open.
Yes , tents were used...but not as much as today.
So...tents...should they be seen ?
Miscellaneous comforts...
Things like chairs , tables , coolers , and the like...
Do we do without them...?
For any of the questions above...
I answer with both yes and no.
Yes , if I am to be presenting myself to the public...with the intent of showing what it was like "back in the day".
And no...if I am in the company of others...who don't want to go as far as me in regards to historical correctness.
In any event....I do not expect others to go along with my standards or notions about being historically correct.
After all ...they are mine....and I am not one to say that I am the end all be all of anything.
Andy
*Not that being historically correct can't be fun..
Or that one can't hunt that way , within modern game laws.
**Pre 1840...Most rendezvous events adhere to a time period of around 1825 to around 1840.
Historical correctness....
Can mean many things to many different people.
Roughly it means :
Being dressed , equipped and doing things in a way , that would not attract much attention during a particular time period...
Often at a specific place in time.
It can even be a 'So What" or "Who cares".
After all it is really the 21st century....
And as seen below expensive in terms of both time and money.
If you are into muzzle loading , just for the fun of it or as a way to extend your hunting season...
Then being historically correct , probably ain't high on your list of things to do.*
Which is fine , not everyone wants to be historically correct.
Luckily for us there ain't no law that says you have to be...
I am posting some things below , to consider when being historically correct.
Please note that these things are just my thoughts and experiences.
They are not meant as The Way To Do Things...or to be read as Andy's Way or the Highway....
The firearms themselves often need looking at or worked on.
This includes both most off the shelf models...and many custom firearms.
Things that are often used or done but may be problematic are :
Coil springs for a main spring...
Sights that are too tall....
Carving that ain't period correct or that is too perfectly done..
This not to say that carving should be sloppy ...
I am saying that some modern carving is too precise for carving of the 18th or 19th century.....
The same can be said of inletting...
Modern stock and metal finishes....
Modern trends that tend to get copied...but which are seldom seen on antique firearms...
All of this means getting a new firearm..Then taking a file , screwdriver or other tool to it....
And then proceed to "fix" it...which takes a degree of skill to do well.
Just how a firearm was shot...was different.
Many folks nowadays , use a far too tight patch and ball combo , as well as a short starter , range rod and priming powder .
The last if a flintlock is used.
This was not done historically.
At best some things like short starters were hinted at...but none of the above was in common use during the 18th or 19th century.
Clothing is also an issue...
The clothes make the man , as the old saying goes , hold true here.
Laced together , chrome tanned leather with glued on plastic beads , just wasn't done.
Nor was the wearing of a dead critter for a hat , very popular.
Brain tan , bark tan or other natural tanned leather is a good choice...
However...it is expensive.
And....
Depending on the time and place...not even a historically correct option.
Edwin Denig , the factor ( Guy in charge ) of Ft. Union , wouldn't let folks into his mess hall unless they were dressed for meals.
As in a tie / cravat and clean clothes ...a suit and tie as one would say.
If you weren't dressed that way...no soup for you!
Remember this was in the wilds of the upper Missouri circa 1840.
Also worth noting , was that if you didn't have accepted clothes...You could rent such things at Ft.Union during this time period.
Anything to make a buck...ain't a new idea.
Another thing worth understanding is that no fur trader or trapper wore plains style war shirts....
Imagine if you will...
Timmy the Fur Trader....wearing a Mandan war shirt....comes across a Cheyenne hunting party or encampment...
Just how well received will he be...after all he is wearing a war shirt from an enemy tribe...yikes.
Clothing was as a general rule....
Plain , serviceable and of common materials , be they leather or fabric like wool or linen...even cotton at various times and places.
Sources used when looking up just what was done historically can be a challenge.
Far too often many historians can't keep themselves out of the book...and do things like :
Judge folks and their actions , which were the "standard" of the time , against modern values and the such...
Or are too quick to read into or take offense at a term ...this is not to say that one should use such terms nowadays...
Just be understanding that some terms that were used may not have been seen as an issue , then..as opposed to now.
First person accounts are a great source.
However...
They too can be problematic.
When were they written ?
What one thinks and feels right after an event ...may be different 20 or more years later.
Who wrote it ?
Many folks couldn't read or write...so....some accounts , written by an author with an eye for flair , may embellish a tale.
Writing styles of the 18th and 19th century can be ....interesting to say the least.
FedEx , UPS and others did not exist...
Just because something was invented in 1820....does not mean that it was in use on the frontier in 1820.
It took awhile for things to catch on...or to get from place to place.
What was in common use at Ft. Union in 1838....may not have been the same at Bent's Fort.
Also related is the common thought : "If they had it...they would have used it."
Which brings us to the below....
Historical allowances ....
Here is a tricky one.
What does one overlook...or even allow at so called pre-1840 **events...?
If one were to be strict about not allowing items that ain't pre-1840 at such events...
Then not a whole Hell of a lot folks would or could show up.
Period correct food was monotonous...Salt pork , a little bit of flour and coffee was the usual meal for a trapper when game was scarce or hunting not an option.
Horse flesh , dog and even other people were on the menu at times...
So...non period food and ways of cooking it..allowed or not...?
Health issues....
Dying of smallpox , poor medical practices and the like wasn't unheard of...
Allergy pills , aspirin and toilet paper sure come in handy....do we allow those..?
Age issues...
I have a great friend...who is in his 70's...
He sleeps on a air mattress (Covered by wool blankets ) ...should I tell him he can't play...?
Speaking of sleeping...
Most trappers and traders , when not at a fort or Indian encampment , slept out in the open.
Yes , tents were used...but not as much as today.
So...tents...should they be seen ?
Miscellaneous comforts...
Things like chairs , tables , coolers , and the like...
Do we do without them...?
For any of the questions above...
I answer with both yes and no.
Yes , if I am to be presenting myself to the public...with the intent of showing what it was like "back in the day".
And no...if I am in the company of others...who don't want to go as far as me in regards to historical correctness.
In any event....I do not expect others to go along with my standards or notions about being historically correct.
After all ...they are mine....and I am not one to say that I am the end all be all of anything.
Andy
*Not that being historically correct can't be fun..
Or that one can't hunt that way , within modern game laws.
**Pre 1840...Most rendezvous events adhere to a time period of around 1825 to around 1840.
Last Edited:
