Craig Daily Press

Photo by Hans Hallgren

Terry Haney, from left, Howdy Davis and Bill Cunningham share a laugh Thursday at the Wyman Museum. The three are taking part in the Mountain Man Rendezvous that continues through Sunday.

courtney teeter/daily press

Bill Cunningham tinkers with his gun Thursday at the Wyman Museum. The Pre-1843 Primitive Mountain Man Rendezvous is designed to teach people about the mountain man lifestyle.

Craig — Daniel Boone.

Kit Carson.

As Howdy Davis lists off their names and exploits, his eyes twinkle above a silver-tipped mustache that slopes down to his chin.

“These were the guys that saved the country,” he said.

To Davis, explorers such as Carson and Boone were more than names in a history textbook. They were inspiration for a way of life.

Davis was one of several people gathered in a shaded grove Thursday morning near Wyman Museum for the Pre-1843 Primitive Mountain Man Rendezvous, an event sponsored by the North American Frontiersmen.

A first glance revealed that this gathering was no traditional camping trip.

Teepees took the place of pup-tents in the damp grass. Their occupants sported clothes adorned with leather fringes — dress hearkening back to more than a century ago.

The gathering, which began Thurs­day at the Wyman Museum, sought to re-create the lifestyle of fur trappers who made their living in early America’s untamed spaces.

The event continues through Sunday, with a trader’s row scheduled to take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the site. There, visitors can barter with rendezvous participants for hand-made goods.

From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the rendezvous camp near the museum, Davis and other history enthusiasts will give public demonstrations of the survival skills fur trappers needed to survive, including archery and black powder shooting.

At 7 p.m. Saturday, participants will give a presentation about the history of the mountain man lifestyle.

At the events, participants aim especially to catch the interest of local children, Davis said.

“This is an important part of our heritage,” he said.

In opening the rendezvous to the public, Davis and his fellow participants are stepping away from tradition.

“Most of the time, these rendezvous are closed to the public,” he said.

Terry Haney, another person who gathered at the site, explained why.

The rendezvous gives participants a chance to step back to a “simpler time,” she said.

“This is our game,” Haney said. “People have to play by our rules.

“This is for us.”

As she spoke, Haney wore a long beaded necklace that draped down the front of her full-length buckskin dress. Conversation flowed easily between Haney and Bill Cunningham, another rendezvous participant. The two sat across a small wood fire, exchanging memories of other rendezvous’ past.

In 1976, Haney began attending similar gatherings, which take place across the country.

Some rendezvous, she said, host as many as 400 camps. With each camp averaging about three people, that adds up to about 1,200 participants.

Haney travels to about three gatherings per year. She said she wishes she could attend four times as many.

“You have friends from all over the world,” she said, adding that the experience is “unreal.”

Bridget Manley can be reached at 875-1795 or bmanley@craigdailypress.com