AGCC - Info about Rendezvous & Links

The following is information on the Rocky Mountain Rendezvous for those who may not be familiar with the era of living history that we portray. A good source for further reading is Rocky Mountain Rendezvous, A History of the Fur Trade Rendezvous 1825-1840 by Fred R. Gowans, Gibbs-Smith Publisher, 1985. All quotes are from this source unless otherwise noted.

"In November of 1824, [William H.] Ashley organized the first supply train to the Central Rockies to supply the trappers so that they could remain in the mountains. With the distribution of these supplies in 1825 at a pre-selected site the fur trade rendezvous was born." p. 13

"…One of the most noted students of the American fur trade and the first to write a definitive work on the subject was Hiram Martin Chittenden. Let his words provide the background of what gave birth to the fur trade rendezvous: The rendezvous was one of the most interesting developments of the fur trade in the Rocky Mountains. It arose from the necessity of carrying the trade into regions remote from navigable rivers, where boats could not carry the annual merchandise nor bring back the furs. The transportation was done by annual caravans from the States, and rendezvous were appointed for each year at points convenient for the trappers and Indians to meet the traders. These meetings were great events and form one of the most picturesque features of early frontier life in the Far West. (From: Life, Letters and Travels of Father DeSmet 1801-1873, p. 216)" p. 11

Our ministry started in 1996 when we began having devotional times with the friends and family, with whom we attended these living history events. After studying the Rendezvous history we determined that the first recorded Protestant service was held on August 24, 1835 at the Green River (Siskeedee-Agie) Rendezvous. Rev. Samuel Parker preached until a herd of buffalo was announced which caused his service to be vacated. The hunt was successful and there was merriment in the camp. Unfortunately, Rev. Parker "…rebuked the sabbath-breakers quite severely. Better for his influence among the men, if he had not done so, or had not eaten so heartily of the tenderloin afterwards, a circumstance which his irreverent critics did not fail to remark, to his prejudice; and upon the principle that the ‘partaker is as bad as the thief,’ they set down his lecture on sabbath-breaking as nothing better than pious humbug." p. 128 [from Joe Meek’s diary.]