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I Went To A
Rendezvous!
By Milt Inman
What
is a rendezvous anyhow? When our country was young
and not many settlements, a rendezvous was a place
where people gathered to have fun, meet old friends,
buy, sell and swap goods for the coming year.
Mountain men, hunters, traders, trappers, Indians,
wives and fur buyers came off the mountains and out
of the woods and gathered at a predetermined spot to
do their thing.
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When all the furs were
traded and provisions were purchased, the story
telling completed, drinking, womanizing, shooting
contests and horse racing were taken care of, they
would sober off and drift back into the mountains.
Upon their return to the hills, they would hunt and
trap and try to keep their hair the rest of the year
until the next rendezvous and then do it all over
again.
Well, the rendezvous I went to in Florida was
somewhat different than the old time one’s were.
There was no public drinking and no womanizing "that
I saw". |
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The rendezvous was at Homeland Heritage Park in
Homeland, Florida. It lasted about a week. The last
two days the general public was invited in to walk,
talk, look and take lots of photos.
There was plenty of
food all cooked over an open fire. All the people
that were there for the week were dressed in
pre-1860 period attire - even the children.
Most everyone carried a big knife and burned wood
for heat and cooking. There were competitions with
contestants shooting muzzleloaders and throwing
knives and tomahawks at a big block of wood.
Now did I have a good time? I had a wonderful time!
Everyone was really friendly, willing to pose for
photos and answer any questions that I had about
anything.
It all happens every year at Homeland, Florida.
Don't miss it.
Click Here For
Photo Gallery of Pictures
Milt Inman
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