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Show Sun Advocate Wednesday, May 7, 1980 Section B Pi Student rendezvous o Mountain ways learned Price Elementary students learn Carbon County history from mountain men. Five-year-o- Doug Callor strains to fire a muzzle loader. ld Stewart Jones dons war paint for a Price Elementary rendezvous. Doug fire a rifle. Dan Wismar shot a cannon and a muzzle loading pistol. We always forget to tell the police about the rendezvous. They come riding around each year because of the noise, teacher Marge Curtis laughed. Berge also demonstrated the use of the Indian Atlatl. It is a large arrow thrown with a special stick launcher. The weapon was used by Indians before the bow and arrow, Berge said. how to Callor demonstrated throw normal arrows with a leather string. The mountain men competed by throwing the arrows and Atlatl hundreds of feet in the playground area. For lunch the fourth graders smoked elk jerky over a campfire. Teachers and parents baked Indian fry bread in a stove. It was too hard over the campfire other years, Ms. Curtis said. Children bartered away their toys, beads, books and other items just as mountain men did during the first rendezvous in 1826. The bartering was good because you got good stuff for your old things, student Brandon Sharp said. The kids broke a record as they packed more than 110 fourth graders into the teepee with room to spare. The day ended with leg and arm wrestles, just as mountain men would have passed the time in earlier days. I felt like an Indian the mountain men had invited to the rendezvous, Brenda Jensen said. I want to go out and live that way, Garth Killian exclaimed. Other participants agreed it was a wonderful day. Story and Photos By RAVELLCALL Gee, I didnt even think it was going to be fun, but it was the most fun I ever had! fourth grader Julie Patterson said. About 110 Price Elementary buckskin clad fourth graders helped put up a teepee, fired muzzle loaders, threw arrows, wrestled, ate fry bread and jerky and bartered toys as part of their fifth annual Mountain Men Rendezvous. The activities Friday climaxed a year of study on the history of Carbon County. Mountain Men Don Berge, Rick Callor and Dan Wismar moved into the elementary playground with all their gear to give the children a taste of the past. As the men set up an Indian teepee, they the explained significance of each of the teepees details. Poles were pointed to ward off evil spirits from the sky. The entrance faced east to invite in good spirits in the morning. I can't understand why the squaws put up the teepees while the men watched, student John Gitlin said after the mountain men explained the custom. The men then moved in their pelts, guns and arrows. Don Berge detailed the history of the rifles he from muzzle loader to displayed rifle. It takes 18 cartridge seconds to reload a muzzle loader unless you are being chased by an Indian then it only takes 15 seconds! Mountain Man Berge also showed the children his pouches of gun maintenance equipment, muzzle loading equipment and powder. Rick Callor helped his son Rick Callor explains how to pitch a teepee. t I Ifli r I - " 1 -- - - ri 1,- -- -- I, r a1, ,f- - - -- rv if - ti m n - r J r - - f |