As the sun’s rays struggle to penetrate an overcast sky,
inhabitants of the Three Pines Rendezvous camp
– some wrapped in thick blankets against the fine mist hovering
in the chilly air – busy themselves with morning chores. Some
crouch over cooking fires. Others tend to their rifles.
As the sun’s rays struggle to penetrate an overcast sky, inhabitants of the Three Pines Rendezvous camp – some wrapped in thick blankets against the fine mist hovering in the chilly air – busy themselves with morning chores. Some crouch over cooking fires. Others tend to their rifles.
The trader – who goes by the name of Iron Dollar and wears a broad hat and a mustache that’s twisted at the ends with wax – trudges through the damp grass toward his shop tent. At the far end of the camp – which consists of about a half-dozen white cloth tents scattered across a field among the oak trees – the buckskin-clad trapper Captain Jack cleans up around his site where several beaver pelts are stretched out on wooden frames to dry.
Then, suddenly, the tranquil scene is broken by the intrusion of a car whizzing past the San Benito County Historical Park on Highway 25 – an unmistakably modern sound that serves as a reminder that the year is 2006, not 1836 as portrayed by the camp’s denizens. The several people comprising the Three Pines Rendezvous camp last weekend are reenactors who gather semi-annually to practice their love of history, find refuge from the demands of the 21st century and, in the process, create to a living history lesson of life in the U.S. between the 1820s and 40s.
“I enjoy the camaraderie, being able to live a lifestyle not dependent on electronics and the wrist watch,” said Clyde Adamson – a San Jose resident who plays the role of Iron Dollar. “It’s a great way to learn history. You learn more from this than you do in a book.”
For the reenactors, a passion for history is fundamental. After choosing a time period and role that they want to represent, they study the period to make sure they have the proper garb and gear and can answer the questions of people who might wander through the camp.
Adamson said he chose to be a trader because, “I ain’t built to be a mountain man. Besides that, the money comes to the middle man.”
Jack Swallow – a Hollister resident with a red handle bar mustache who plays Captain Jack – said that he chose to be a trapper because he’s always been intrigued with the men who left civilization and struck out into the wilderness to make their fortunes.
“I always loved the mountain man period,” he said.
Dedicated to his character, Swallow made much of the clothing and accouterments – such as his buckskin jacket and his knife with a handle made with a piece of antler – that he brings to reenactments. One of Swallow’s favorite parts of a rendezvous is when he gets to tell kids about the time in history that he represents.
“They come over here, their eyes as big as saucers,” he said.
The next rendezvous will be at the county historical park, about a mile past Tres Pinos, on October 28 and 29.
Luke Roney covers local government and the environment for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or at [email protected]
