Wagon Train and music at Lakewood, CO

Subject: Wagon Train and music at Lakewood, CO
From: Rex
Date: 21 May 99 - 11:58 PM

Hey there, LEJ, Cuilionn, Joe Offer and anyone else in the Denver area. There are two wagon trains currently going through town. One is camped at Bear Creek State Park in Lakewood over the weekend on their way to the gold rush in California. They are neat folks to visit with. One charming lady took a vacation from her job in England and is walking with them across the country. There is entertanement as well. Tonight it was Roz Brown. Who I call the keeper of the songs. He plays all the great old songs at the Buckhorn Exchange in Denver. Another neat thing to visit in Denver. Well I sat in with him tonight at the wagon train. He playing his autoharp and me on the mandolin. Great fun. Anyway, I will be there again Sunday from 5-7 with a group of friends. Now I won't be wearing my treasured Mudcat t-shirt as I will be dressed for the mid 1800's. But it would be great to see some of you. We will be playing songs and tunes from the same time. Hope to see your there.

Rex

Subject: RE: Wagon Train and music at Lakewood, CO
From: Joe Offer
Date: 22 May 99 - 03:48 AM

Aw, darn - I stayed in Lakewood the last three weeks, but I got home tonight. And I'll probably be back in Denver by the time the train gets here to Sacramento. Thanks for the tip, though, Rex. I'll see if I can check out the Buckhorn Exchange next month. I went to the song circle at Swallow Hill in Denver last night, and it was gret fun.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Wagon Train and music at Lakewood, CO
From: Rex
Date: 22 May 99 - 10:33 AM

Forgot to mention, you can track their progress and know when they will be in your area. Go to (www.goldrushwagontrain.org). Sorry to miss you Joe. Give a holler when you're back in town.

Rex

Subject: RE: Wagon Train and music at Lakewood, CO
From: Alice
Date: 22 May 99 - 10:33 AM

When I was researching Jim Beckwourth (son of a slave, a frontiersman, trailblazer) I met Sid Wilson on the internet. He owns "A Private Guide", in Denver, and does Black American Heritage tours. One project our company does is tee shirt designs of historic African Americans, such as Beckwourth. Sid was very helpful in referring me to a copy of the biography of Beckwourth. He keeps me updated on similar news, and recently sent me this email:
Subject: Real Wagon Train @ Four Mile Historic Park

Hi Gang,

A covered wagon train, en route from St. Charles, Missouri on its way to Sacremento, California to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the 1849 gold rush, will arrive at Four Mile Historic Park beginning on May 25. It will mark the first time in 130 years that a wagon train has passed in front of the Four Mile House which is situated directly on the old Cherokee and Smokey Hill Trails.

The wagon train will form a circle in the park's meadow and its members will be greeted by dignataries arriving by stagecoach followed by a pioneer style lunch accompanied by traditional fiddle and guitar music. Beginning on May 29 - 30, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the general public will be able to experience life on the trail as though they were pioneers on their way west.

Visitors will be partake in trail food and refreshments, old time music, horse-drawn covered wagon rides ($1.00 per person), craft demos, excerpts from authentic diaries and journals, and historic interpretation. In adddition, old fashion games including stick horse races, gunny sack races, marbles, and potato races will entertain the entire family

Admission is $5.00 for adults, $3 for seniors and children 6 - 15. Children under 6 are free. Four Mile Historic Park is located at 715 South Forest St., Denver, CO 80246 or, you can call 303 399-1859 for more in depth info.

See you there!!!!

Sid :-)

------

alice in montana

Subject: RE: Wagon Train and music at Lakewood, CO
From: Rex
Date: 24 May 99 - 12:40 PM

Well we had a mighty good outing at the wagon train Sunday. Somehow the thunderstorms held off unlike what they did Saturday. Thanks to Alice about the other wagon train coming through town. The Four Mile House is a worth-while visit anyway. Again that's May 25. Sorry I have to miss that one. Things were sort of winding down Sunday and much of the public had gone away. We had lost all hints that it was the 19th century and were playing whatever songs we thought of. We had already played Dooley. And were just finishing the Tennessee Stud when who should show up but Mr. Lonesome EJ himself. It seems we had already met. We had already said our howdys before and I've seen him several times at his Radio Shack as I frequently have to replace lightening blasted antenna parts. But neither of us guessed we had something in common. Anyway, thanks for coming out to our gig LEG. However fallen apart it may have been. Later, the wagon train folks invited the musicians that were left to their campfire. So we sat there in the twilight exchanging songs while meadowlarks from every direction added to the melody. A fine evening it was. As I was groggily wending my way home it occured to me. This may have been the first meeting of Mudcatters in the Rocky Mountain region. If so, that's mighty keen. Let's try to get some more of us together out here. I'll be seeing the wagon train folks again today. They are in Golden through Tuesday. Wednesday they go up to IdahoSprings. Friday they are in Fraser. Then Hot Sulpher Springs over the weekend. From there you'll have to check the website above. They end up at the Railroad Museum in Sacramento. Cool. I don't know the plans of the wagon train at 4 mi. house. Alice, do you know of a website to follow them?

Rex

Subject: RE: Wagon Train and music at Lakewood, CO
From: LEJ
Date: 24 May 99 - 01:00 PM

Small world, Rex! Thanks for the invite and the music. For those that haven't met Rex, he is a gentleman and an adept player of violin, guitar, pennywhistle and banjo (which, by the way, is one of my favorite instruments Banjer ).

Subject: RE: Wagon Train and music at Lakewood, CO
From: Rex
Date: 24 May 99 - 01:05 PM

Um, ne'rmind. I bumped into the website for the other wagon train at 4mi. house. It has all the info on stops. On May 26 - 28 they will be at the Denver National Western Complex. Where they have the stock show. Over the weekend they will be at Ft. Lupton. They wind up in Stockton CA in September. Their website is:

(www.goldrushwagontrain.com)

And here is a correction on the other wagontrain website.(I left out the "A" in wagon:

(www.goldrushwagontrain.org)

See them if you can. Sing em a song to help them on their way.

Rex

Subject: RE: Wagon Train and music at Lakewood, CO
From: Rex
Date: 24 May 99 - 01:09 PM

Just saw LEJ's post. Aw shucks, I'm just an ol country picker. I better get back to work now.

Rex

Subject: RE: Wagon Train and music at Lakewood, CO
From: Les B
Date: 24 May 99 - 11:33 PM

Hey Rex - where did you find mid-1800 era duds? I've got to play a couple of frontier type gigs this summer and am looking for new ideas.

Subject: RE: Wagon Train and music at Lakewood, CO
From: Rex
Date: 25 May 99 - 07:37 AM

Well, about my duds at the time. The hat is a regular old Resistol with the crown lowered and shaped plain and the brim pressed flat. The brocaded vest is an 1800's original. The shirt is probably early 1900's. Me britches are just wool trousers of sort of a coarse weave minus the belt loops and the creases ironed out. Sort of. The boots are calvary pattern with straight lasts (left and right are interchangeable) made by a friend in Montana that got a wild hair one day and made cavalry boots for awhile. The point of all this is there are many sources you might not expect. Flea markets, garage sales. Clothing can be modified to your needs. WAH maker makes respectable vests and shirts. They are offered through Miller Stockman. Then there are those sources specifically for living history: Jas. Townsend & Son, Smoke and Fire Co., C. and D. Jarnagin Co., The Quartermaster Shop. These are all on the web. Good hunting.

Rex

Subject: RE: Wagon Train and music at Lakewood, CO
From: Les B
Date: 25 May 99 - 06:40 PM

Rex - Thanks for the info. I was aware of Wah, Jarnigan, & Jas. Townsend, and a few others since I buckskin a little. And I'm wondering if the Montana booter is the guy in Livingston ? Hadn't heard of The Quartermaster Shop or Smoke & Fire, but will now hunt them up.

Subject: RE: Wagon Train and music at Lakewood, CO
From: Rex
Date: 26 May 99 - 06:15 PM

Les-B, my friend has considerable energy and goes after whatever he thinks of. A few years ago it was boots for about half a year. The next year he built a fur trade fort. I don't know what he's up to now. But he is no longer making boots. He got that out of his system. And he does not live in Livingston.

Rex