Re: MtMan-List: packs

["Kirk Morrison" <captkirk@cpcug.org>]

On 31 Mar 97 at 10:41, Lee Driver wrote:

> About being period correct about packs, I would say:
> 
> Probably the one historical incidence that most lends itself to this 
> question is John Colter's long trek  in 1807, to look for the Crow 
> Indians at Manuel Lisa's request.
> 
> "Carrying a thirty-pound pack containing powder, lead, traps, jerkey, 
> and a buffalo robe he left the fort alone, armed with his Hawken 
> rifle and skinning knife." This quote comes from _Views of Louisiana_ 
> by Breckenridge in which he says he is quoting The Missouri Gazette,
> presumably around 1810.
> 

    Well one period correct pack would be similar to the Ruckus Sack, 
which is the worse pack ever devised by man for carrying heavy weights, 
the pack basket is similarly defective.   The packframe as used by the 
Canadian Trappers, quite probbly got combined with the ruckus sack, at 
least that is what I would suppose, both would have been around, both 
most likely were known to the mountain men.  Can anyone document this 
for me?   I have tried  to document this but I can't find any evidence 
until after the mountain man period.