Cabin Kits of Miniature Log Cabins- Rustic Replicas

Frontier Fort

noreply@blogger.com (Rustic Replicas) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 22:24:00 +0000

We've all seen a western movie starring a young cavalry officer. His station is a frontier fort made of rough, log walls. Inside this wall of logs, a raised platform (called a gallery) was used by riflemen and cannon to defend the fort from attack. If you look closely at an old fort, you'll also notice one or more heavily-built structures situated at strategic points like the corners of the walls or over the main gate These structures, called blockhouses. are often two stories high with the top floor wider than the bottom. Both levels might have window openings that were protected by heavy shutters. Cut in the shutters, as well as the upper walls were narrow slits. These slits, dating back to Medieval castles, originally protected archers. In the American West, the slits were wide enough so that a rifleman, stationed inside the wall, could pivot his weapon and aim at anything in a wide arc. From the outside, the slit offered a very small target to the attacker. The top floor of the blockhouse was the last bastion for the forts' defenders. It had a ladder that could be pulled up and a heavy trap door that could be slammed shut. Slits in the floor might be used to pour boiling water or shoot attackers who dared breach the walls. Thus, the fort and blockhouse were important buildings in North America. Once inside, a small group of armed defenders might survive attack from a far superior force.

Hand-split Clapboard

noreply@blogger.com (Rustic Replicas) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 15:28:00 +0000

In the old days, wood siding was split from logs and attached with hand-made iron nails. I asked an enactor at the Plymouth Settlement why clapboards were used on these houses, but not on houses in the Jamestown Settlement? Both settlements dated to about the same time. Both settlements built timber frame houses with the walls filled in with waddle (branches woven together) and daub (a mixture of mud and organic materials added for strength).He told me that they didn't have a good source of lime in the Plymouth area. They had tried burning oyster shells but it was very labor intensive. The lime, when added to mud, would waterproof the mixture. Without lime, the mud walls were quickly eroded by rain. Also, as the Bay Colony is much colder than Virginia, an additional layer of clapboard better insulated the homes.

Rustic Log Cabin

noreply@blogger.com (Rustic Replicas) — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 17:41:00 +0000

In pioneer days, when shelter was needed, it was common to build a rustic log cabin. A crew of lumbermen might need winter quarters in the area where they were cutting virgin timber. A miner or trapper, merchant or farmer had moved into a new territory and needed a safe, cozy shelter. With a minimum of tools and time, a log cabin home could be constructed. No nails were used in this structure. The log walls are interlocked and the thick roof shingles are held in place by a crude external framework of saplings. Often the floor was dirt. As there is no chimney visible on this rough structure, it might have been used for storage rather than "living space"? Over time, additional structures might be raised to be used as a stable, barn, chicken house, spring house, smoke house. As the community grew, the pioneer families might build a rustic log cabin church, school, grist mill or barn.

Two-Pen Dog Trot

noreply@blogger.com (Rustic Replicas) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 20:58:00 +0000

This log cabin miniature is based on a pre-Civil War log cabin home I visited several years ago. If you are a real estate agent you might list this dwelling as double cabins connected by a breezeway. The folks who built the original called this log cabin home a two-pen-dog trot. Let me explain. The pioneers called a room a pen. This cabin has two rooms . . or two pens. The open, roofed area between the cabins was called a dog trot. Likely, this area was taken over by the family dogs as they were protected from inclement weather and close to family members who fed, played and hunted with them. If you have a few dogs, you know how restless they can get! Thus, the antsy dogs trotting around in this sheltered space became part of the description.

La Salle and the Griffin, Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Rustic Replicas) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 13:50:00 +0000

In 1678-79 La Salle, the famous French Explorer, financed the construction of the first sailing ship on the Great Lakes. The ship was built in the wilderness near Niagra Falls on the Niagara River. La Salle’s plan was to buy a ship-load of furs at deeply-discounted wilderness prices and sell them in Montreal at a huge profit.

In May 1679, the hull of the sailing ship was launched into the Niagara River. A party of Iroquois Indians who watched the launching were amazed that the Frenchmen could build, what the Iroquois thought was a floating fort, so quickly.

LaSalle named his ship Le Griffon (The Griffin), after a mystical creature with the body and legs of a lion and the beak and wings of an eagle. The ship carried a carved image of Le Griffon on her bow.

The Griffin was anchored in the Niagara River for several weeks while her masts and rigging were completed and supplies and gear loaded aboard. The ship carried small arms, powder, trade goods, merchandise, provisions and seven cannon for protection.

On August 7, 1679, Le Griffon was towed into Lake Erie. A hoped-for wind from the northeast arose. The 32 Frenchmen on board asked God to bless their venture as Le Griffon got underway.

For eons, the Native Americans could only hug the safety of the shore as they paddled their fragile Birch- bark canoes around the lakes. Le Griffon was the first craft to boldly cross the fresh-water seas called the Great Lakes.

Three days later, August 10th, Le Griffon reached the Detroit River, sailing between Grosse Isle and Bois Blanc island. The river was bordered on each side by vast prairies. In the distance were hills covered with vines, fruit trees, thickets and tall forest trees. Wild game abounded, including many species new to the crew. Soon the sails used to shade the deck of the Griffin, sagged with the carcasses of several deer killed by the crew. A variety of trees, suitable for building, covered the shore. Nut and fruit trees as well as wild vines, heavy with ripening grapes, grew in abundance.

The Griffon entered Lake Huron on August 23, crossed the Bay of Saginaw and was becalmed among the islands of Thunder Bay. Near Presque Isle on the 25th and 26th of August, the ship was battered by storms and rough seas.

On the 27th of August the ship rounded Point St. Ignace, and anchored in the bay of Michilimackinac. Here the crew found a settlement of Huron, Ottawa and a few Frenchmen.

The weary crew rejoiced as The Griffin anchored in this safe harbor. A salute was fired from the deck, and thrice answered by Huron firearms. The Franciscans celebrated Mass in the chapel of the Ottawa, thanking God for their safe arrival. La Salle attended the Mass, dressed in fine clothes, including a scarlet cloak bordered with gold lace. More than a hundred bark canoes, filled with curious Indians, swirled around the mighty ship.

The Griffin

noreply@blogger.com (Rustic Replicas) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 14:15:00 +0000

For over 100 years, New France dominated the fur trade. Frenchmen penetrated far into the North American wilderness to purchase furs from the Native Americans. The French traded for the furs with a variety of manufactured items such as iron cookware, cloth, mirrors, blankets, guns, brandy and knives which they carried with them.

All the trade goods and furs were transported in hundreds of birch-bark canoes. The fragile canoes were 35-40 feet in length and capable of carrying about two tons of cargo. Crews of men, known as voyageurs, paddled the canoes and carried their cargo and canoes over dry land when a “portage” was necessary.

A round trip voyage, which began and ended in Montreal, was long, dangerous, time-consuming and physically demanding. The fur trading companies needed to hire hundreds of young men from the fledgling colony of New France which often created a shortage of labor.

Hiring crews of young, strong men was not difficult. Paddling a canoe, discovering new lands, living with Native Americans, trading for furs and making good money was far more exciting than the drudgery of clearing new farmland and performing the never-ending chores of farming.

In 1678, Rene Robert Cavelier de la Salle, the famous French explorer, thought he had a better idea.

La Salle’s plan was to build the first ship to sail the Great Lakes. The ship, constructed on the Nigara River, could sail the Great Lakes, around the clock, in most kinds of weather and require just a few men to transport a large cargo.

Fill the ship with a cargo of trade goods and supplies. Deliver the supplies at Fort Michilimackinac. Use the trade goods to refill the ship with furs purchased cheaply around the Great Lakes.

Sail back to Lake Erie and transship the furs to Montreal where they could be sold at an huge profit.

In 1678, la Salle led a party of Frenchmen he had hired to a site on the Niagara River. Here, his men were ordered to build a sailing ship of about 45 tons burden. This large schooner would be the first sailing ship to ply the waters of the Great Lakes.

It took most of the winter of 1678-79 to construct the ship. La Salle was absent much of the time as he needed to resolve his private financial affairs. Building a large ship, especially in the wilderness, required the transportation of men, tools and many supplies. . . all of which had to be carried by canoes. The men would also build rough-hewn log cabins in which to live and work.

Midwest Exploration

noreply@blogger.com (Rustic Replicas) — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 16:38:00 +0000

Part of the upper Midwest was once called the Northwest Territory. This vast area was home to many Amerind tribes. In 1673, the first European explorers (Marquette and Jolliet) explored the upper Mississippi River. Their voyage took them along the western shore of Lake Michigan, into Green Bay, down the Wisconsin River to the Mississippi. They paddled the Mississippi River to the Arkansas River. Their return trip took them up the Illinois River, the Des Plaines River, through the Chicago Portage, and the Chicago River and back into Lake Michigan. Later, La Salle continued the exploration of the Mississippi River to its' mouth and claimed a huge territory for France. In time, the French built forts throughout the Great Lakes at Detroit, Duluth, Niagara, Pittsburgh, Mackinaw and down the Illinois River. This was at a time well before English settlers had passed through the Cumberland Gap to settle the Ohio Valley and Kentucky. French Voyageurs traveled as far as the Rockies, naming the Grand Tetons near today's Yellowstone Park. The Great Lakes and the St Lawrence, Ottawa and many other river systems were the French men's super highways. The wealth they gathered were the skins of wild animals, especially Beaver, that flourished in the interior. The economy of New France depended on these skins arriving in Montreal and Quebec each year. The native peoples trapped, prepared and traded these skins for metal knives, tools, kettles, blankets, guns, gunpowder, brandy and many other trade goods. Tons of these animal skins were shipped to France most years where they were processed into felt and made into stylish hats.

New Orleans

noreply@blogger.com (Rustic Replicas) — Fri, 20 May 2011 14:31:00 +0000

You probably know about "The Louisiana Purchase" made during Thomas Jefferson's presidency. The Purchase was vast, consisting of all the lands drained by all the rivers that flow into the Mississippi.

France claimed the Mississippi River because the upper regions were first explored by Father Marquette and Louis Joliet in 1673. At that time, Europeans had this agreement that if my countryman sees it first, it is ours! A little later, the lower Mississippi was explored and claimed for France by La Salle.

Obviously, Native Americans had been fishing, traveling and living on the banks of the Mississippi River for eons.

The French wanted title to these lands (and rivers) for two important reasons. . . the first was to continue the expansion of their fur-trading monopoly. The movement of trade goods and furs was dependent on water routes. Second, New France was isolated for six months as the St. Lawrence river froze in November and did not become navigatable until late Spring. A warm water port near the mouth of the Mississippi river could provide year-round water access to the American heartland of the continent. That was the plan!
Long before the American Revolution, French forts dotted the Great Lakes at Detroit, Duluth, Niagara and Mackinaw to protect the French fur-trading monopoly from encroachment.

French voyageurs traveled by canoe as far as the Rockies, naming the Grand Teton range near today’s Yellowstone National Park. The Great Lakes, the St Lawrence, Ottawa and many other rivers became the super highways of the French. Voyageurs paddled 35 foot Birchbark canoes, filled with almost 2 tons of trade goods, into the wilderness. At times, they might paddle 70 miles or more in a day. At other times, they carried (portaged) their large canoes and cargo from one waterway to another.

Their destinations were log cabin trading posts and Native American villages scattered throughout the wilderness. The native peoples trapped and prepared wild animal skins which they traded for a variety of French manufactured merchandise.

On their return trips, the voyageurs carried dozens of 80 lb. bundles of valuable furs back to Montreal. The economy of New France depended on these skins arriving each year. Shiploads of furs were shipped from Quebec to France, each year, where most of them were processed into felt and fashioned into stylish, very expensive hats.

As for the French warm-water port at the mouth of the Mississippi River? It is called New Orleans and still has a Canadian (Cajun) flair.

Indiana Trading Post

noreply@blogger.com (Rustic Replicas) — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 14:07:00 +0000

For nearly two centuries, felt hats and fur coats were high fashion in Europe. The felt was made from animal hair. . . the best quality felt made from Beaver. The trapping of Beaver in Europe was so intense that the species was nearly extinct. The first French explorers found a rich, new source of Beaver and other animal fur bearing animals in New France. Soon, French voyageurs from eastern

Canada

(New France) were traveling far and wide in search of the valuable skins. The French didn’t trap and prepare the furs; their American Indian allies did. A quantity of skins would be exchanged for an iron pot, metal hatchets, a gun and gunpowder, scissors, knives, cloth, needles and other items. This log cabin was built by Joseph Bailly in northwest Indiana in the 1820’s. Pottawatomie Indians brought furs to Bailly’s store each spring to trade for merchandise. Bailly would pack the furs he bought into 60 lb. bundles and ship them (by boat) to Mackinac, at the top of Lake Michigan. At Mackinac, Bailly’s furs, along with furs from many other traders, were shipped (again by boat) to Montreal and on to Quebec. In Quebec, the furs were loaded onto large sailing ships and carried to Europe. In Europe, the hair was removed from the skin, processed into felt and fashioned into men’s and women’s hats. By 1830, the fur trading business had ended as over trapping nearly depleted the Beaver in North America and the felt hat was no longer in fashion.

Too much lobster

noreply@blogger.com (Rustic Replicas) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 13:30:00 +0000

The first Europeans to colonize North America believed the abundance of gold and jewels found in Mexico and Peru also existed in northern lands. Finding these riches was priority one! Gentlemen adventurers clamored aboard wooden ships, driven by gold fever. They were sure they would find fabulous wealth in the New World! Instead, most became victims of starvation, disease and violence.

The Europeans carried a limited supply of food. They were promised regular resupply by ship. This rarely happened.

You would think after the first colonists build log cabins and a stockade wall they would focus on growing food as well as learning to hunt, fish and gather foods in this new land.

Instead, the Europeans exploited the local natives. When supplies ran low, the colonists traded metal tools and trinkets for the small amounts of surplus food the Native Americans grew and gathered. Soon this food was consumed. The colonists then demanded and ultimately confiscating (by force) all the food of the Amerinds. As the colonists were armed with guns and cannon, they usually won the day. However, the friendship and cooperation of the knowledgeable neighbors was lost.

Many American Indian tribes practiced slash and burn farming. They cleared a piece of land and burned the brush and trees. Burning released nutrients that fertilized the soil. Next, they planted corn, squash and bean seeds together in many small hillocks. As the plants grew, the corn stalk supported the bean vine while the squash vine covered the ground and discouraged weeds. Many Native Americans also exploited an abundance of salt and fresh water resources as well as woodlands and plains.

As an example, in the early years of European colonization, lobster was abundant in shallow waters. It has been said that a ships’ boy could catch 40 to 50 lbs. of lobster in an hour or two.

A little later in history, New England farmers used lobsters to fertilize their fields.

In fact, lobster was so cheap and plentiful that indentured servants often insisted upon a stipulation in their employment contract that they not be forced to eat lobster more than three times a week!

Oysters, clams, scallops, crabs, cod and many other varieties of fresh and salt water fish, whales and eels filled the coastal waters, bays, lakes and rivers of North America. Even the Maple tree produced sap which was boiled into sweet syrup or sugar!

The St Lawrence river was filled with such an abundance of migrating eels each year that it was nicknamed the "Manna of New France".Wild grapes and various berries grew in the northern climes.

Among the wild game a hunter could harvest were bear, deer, woodland bison, buffalo, elk, moose, turkey, assorted water fowl and many other critters that roamed the continent’s various ecosystems.

Over time, the colonists tamed the wilderness, cleared and planted the land, harvested the rivers, lakes and seas and found fabulous wealth. Some New World plants and animals (like corn, potatoes and turkey) were introduced to Europe and other Old World areas. In return, the Spanish introduced orange trees in St Augustine, Florida as well as horses, beef cattle and pigs. Some of these animals escaped and populated the South, Southwest and the Great Plains. Feral pigs, a big nuisance today in many U.S. states, were introduced by De Soto and other Spanish explorers.

The invasion of new species continues to this day with the Zebra Mussel. It hitch a ride across the Atlantic on freighters, traveled the St Lawrence Seaway, and has found a new home in the Great Lakes.

Huron Home

noreply@blogger.com (Rustic Replicas) — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 19:42:00 +0000

This is a reconstruction of a Huron dwelling of the 17th century. It stands in St Ignace, at the top of Lake Michigan. A French mission was built in the 1670s. Here, the Jesuit missionary, Father Jacques Marquette preached to the Huron people. Father Marquette and Louis Jolliet led a small group of voyageurs that discovered and explored the upper Mississippi in 1673 . In 1675, Marquette died and was buried on the shore of Lake Michigan, Two years later, his bones were retrieved and taken to St. Ignace for reburial. Several Huron families called this structure "home". It is built of logs and branches of various lengths and sizes. The skin is tree bark. Holes in the roof allowed smoke to escape from several small fires that were used to cook family meals and for warmth. A long wooden bench runs the entire length of the structure on each side. Here, people slept and stored their belongings. There was very little privacy in this building. But,from what I have read, our sense of privacy is a rather modern concept. It appears this home was quick to build as there were plenty of hands helping gather the needed materials. The tools originally used were flint axes and knives.

Rustic Log Cabin

noreply@blogger.com (Rustic Replicas) — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 17:39:00 +0000

In the past, when shelter was needed, it was common to build a rustic log cabin. A crew of lumbermen might need to build winter quarters close to an area where they were cutting old growth timber. Perhaps a miner or trapper, merchant or farmer had moved into a new area and needed more substantial shelter than a canvas tent or a lean-to of branches. With a minimum of tools and time, a log cabin home could be built. No nails were used in this structure. The log walls are interlocked and the thick roof shingles are held in place by a rough external frame. Often the floor was dirt. As there is no chimney visible on this rough structure, perhaps it was used for storage rather than "living space"? Over time, additional structures might be raised to be used as a stable, barn, chicken house, spring house, smoke house. The community might even work together to raise a rustic log cabin church.

Log Cabin Inn

noreply@blogger.com (Rustic Replicas) — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 17:45:00 +0000

This old inn reminds me of log cabins I've seen in Virginia, Missouri and other parts of the country. Originally, this log cabin inn had a large, public room on the main floor and two bedrooms upstairs. As this inn was built in southern Illinois, it might have had a guest named Abraham Lincoln from time to time. Prior to becoming president of the United States, Lincoln served as a circuit court judge and was required to travel from town to town.

In the past, frontier inns had one large, second-floor bedroom which was exclusively for women. The room was reached by an enclosed staircase inside the inn. A second upstairs bedroom, was exclusively used by the men. It was reached by another separate staircase.

There was no access from one bedroom to the other. There were no accomodations for married couples.

Complete strangers slept together, sometimes several crammed into a bed. There was no inside plumbing. Instead, there was an outhouse or two. Inside (usually stored under the bed) was a chamber pot. Water for drinking and washing was drawn from a well. A pitcher of water was placed, along with a basin, on a table in each bedroom. A guest could pour a little water in the bowl to wash their hands, face and more using a chunk of home-made lye soap and a wash cloth. Cologne or perfume was lavishly used by some travelers, as little extra clothing could be carried in their saddlebags, or trunk.

As rough and rugged as this inn appears to us today, it offered a welcome respite to people who might have been sleeping on the ground for days, cooking over campfires, freezing in winter or being eaten alive by bugs in summer.

Here, one could buy a hot meal for a penny or two, enjoy a drink, catch up on the news and sleep in a soft bed.

Fort de la Caroline

noreply@blogger.com (Rustic Replicas) — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 22:29:00 +0000

St. Augustine, Florida, is the oldest continuously inhabited European city in North America. This Spanish town was founded by Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles in August of 1565. St Augustine is more than 40 years older than the English colonies of Jamestown, Virginia (1607), Bermuda (1608) and Plymouth, Massachusetts (1620).

But Spain was not the first European power to attempt colonization in North America. A French expedition of a few ships was organized by Admiral Gaspard de Coligny and led by navigator Jean Ribault. This little fleet landed on the Florida coast in February, 1562. They erected a monument, claimed the territory for their king and sailed on to present-day Parris Island, South Carolina. Here, Ribault erected a second monument establishing a northern border of a territory they named New France. Ribault’s men built a fort called Charlesfort, named for their king, Charles IX. Leaving twenty-eight men to defend the fort, Ribault and the remainder of his crew returned to Europe for additional supplies and settlers. However, Ribault was arrested and imprisoned in England where he languished for a year. As the months went by, the French manning Charlesfort grew desperate. Their supplies were dwindling, forcing the French to rely on trade with the natives to obtain food. The natives did not grow large surpluses of food and grew angry when the hungry Frenchmen demanded the very food from their mouths. After a year of no relief ships, the desperate men of Charlesfort decided to sail back to Europe. They built an open boat and shoved off. During their voyage, starvation and thirst reduced them to cannibalism before the survivors were rescued in English waters. Meanwhile, René Goulaine de Laudonnière, Ribault's second-in-command on the 1562 expedition, commanded a fleet of ships carrying 200 new settlers back to Florida. Construction of a new settlement, Fort de la Caroline, atop St. Johns Bluff, on the St John's river was begun on June 22, 1564. For a year, the men and women of this new colony suffered from hunger, Indian attacks, and mutiny. The colonist did not clear land to plant crops. They were promised that France would provide all the craftsmen, tools, food, livestock, arms and munitions the colony needed. The colonists only task was to search for sources of gold, silver and precious stones. These treasures must exist in Florida in great abundance as they did in the Spanish colonies of Peru and Mexico! Well, they did not! Unfortunately, while the French settlers were searching for Florida gold, the Spanish court learned of Fort de la Caroline. Spain would not tolerate a foreign colony lying so close to the route of their annual Spanish treasure fleet. The Spanish sent a fleet of ships to destroy Fort de la Caroline and execute most of its' inhabitants. Once this was accomplished, the Spanish founded a town nearby and named it St Augustine!

The Voyageur

noreply@blogger.com (Rustic Replicas) — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 16:33:00 +0000

Animal furs were a valuable product of North America in the 17th century. The economy of New France (Quebec Province, Canada today) depended on the yearly collection and export of furs to France. You’d think the furs would be valued as a source of leather or a luxury item when fashioned into beautiful fur coats, stoles and gloves. Instead, it was the undercoat of the Beaver hair that was most prized as it was removed and processed into very fine, waterproof felt. This felt was fashioned into waterproof hats that were a stylish and very expensive accessory for well-dressed European gentlemen and ladys.

In North America, crews of French, French-Canadians and American Indians paddled 30’ birch-bark canoes, filled with up to three tons of supplies, into the back country. Thier job was to restock a chain of fortified trading posts the French had built throughout the Great Lakes and along major rivers. These posts secured the French fur-trade region.

The canoe men were called “voyageurs”, which means “travelers”. Their strength and endurance is legendary. They worked up to 14 hours a day, paddling 55 strokes per minute as they sang lively songs. Some days they could move their canoes up to 100 miles. When they could go no further by water, they portaged (carried) their canoes and supplies over dry land that separated the lakes and rivers they traveled. Few voyagers could swim. Many drowned in wild, white-water rapids or in sudden violent rain squalls as they were crossing the Great Lakes. It has been said that their huge Birch Bark canoes were so fragile that one large wave would snap them in half. Hence, if the weather was threatening, the voyageurs would wait ashore.

A bundle of furs weighed about 90 lbs. Bundles of trade goods were packed to weigh the same. A routine portage meant each voyageur must carry 2 bundles (180 pounds) at a time, across rugged, sometimes muddy trails. Every ½ mile or so the men set down their bundles and ran back for 2 more.

There were two categories of voyageurs: the pork eaters (mangeurs de lard)) and the winterers (hivernants).The men who paddled from Montreal to the rendezvous at Grand Portage and returned to civilization lived on a diet of salt pork. . . so were called pork eaters. Some men transported merchandise deeper into the wilderness, remained at a winter outpost and lived “off the land”. These men were called “winterers”. Winterers traded for furs in native villages and in the spring transported the furs to a rendezvous post.The furs were transported from these rendezvous posts to Montreal and Quebec where they were shipped to France

Thomas Lincoln Log Cabin

noreply@blogger.com (Rustic Replicas) — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 17:50:00 +0000

Near Champaign Illinois, off I-57, are the small towns of Arcola, Arthur, Mattoon, and Charleston. Outside Charleston is the historical site of the Lincoln Log Cabin, operated by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. On this land, Thomas Lincoln, the father of President Abraham Lincoln, spent his later life as a farmer. His two-pen (two room) home has been reconstructed along with several farm buildings and stocked with the tools, the livestock and the people needed to run a typical 1840s farm. Next door to Thomas Lincoln, another working farm is also exhibited. It belonged to Steven Sargent, who used more-progressive farming techniques. The photo is of the Thomas Lincoln cabin. It was built on the site of the original cabin in 1935. The two whitewashed rooms are small and cozy with low ceilings and wood floors (considered a luxury in pioneer times). Two hearths (one in each room) share a common chimney built in the middle of the log cabin home.

Jamestown Settlement

noreply@blogger.com (Rustic Replicas) — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 14:43:00 +0000

In May, 1607, three small ships anchored by a small wooded island in the James river. The settlers aboard the vessels disembarked and began constructing the first permanent English Settlement in North America. Until 1994, it was believed that the site of the original fort had been swept away by the river. Then, the site was found. In the year since, excavation of the site has been conducted and hundreds of artifacts found.

I find this photograph interesting. It shows how a wall (in this case the wall of a fort) was constructed without nails. A shallow trench was dug and the bottom edge of the logs making up the palisade walls, were buried. The soil was firmly tapped down to anchor the logs in place. The top of the walls was secured by attaching planks to the logs using wooden pegs. . . dozens of them. . that were driven into holes drilled through the plank and into the log.
This same wooden pin technique was used, centuries later, in the construction of log cabin homes.

Log Cabin Blockhouse

noreply@blogger.com (Rustic Replicas) — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 18:05:00 +0000

We've all seen a western movie with the star, a young cavalry officer, stationed at a frontier fort made of rough, log walls. Inside this wall of logs, a raised platform (called a gallery) was used by riflemen and cannon to defend the fort from attack. If you look closely at an old fort, you'll also notice one or more heavily-built structures situated at strategic points like the corners of the walls or over the main gate These structures, called blockhouses. are often two stories high with the top floor wider than the bottom. Both levels might have window openings that were protected by heavy shutters. Cut in the shutters, as well as the upper walls were narrow slits. These slits, dating back to Medieval castles, originally protected archers. In the American West, the slits were wide enough so that a rifleman, stationed inside the wall, could pivot his weapon and aim at anything in a wide arc. From the outside, the slit offered a very small target to the attacker. The top floor of the blockhouse was the last bastion for the forts' defenders. It had a ladder that could be pulled up and a heavy trap door that could be slammed shut. Slits in the floor might be used to pour boiling water or shoot attackers who dared breach the walls. Thus, the fort and blockhouse were important buildings in North America. Once inside, a small group of armed defenders might survive attack from a far superior force.

Feast of the Hunter's Moon

noreply@blogger.com (Rustic Replicas) — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 14:18:00 +0000

Hoping last weekend’s Lake Michigan storms wouldn’t spread to West Lafayette, IN, Mary and I drove to the town’s Feast of the Hunter’s Moon. This annual and extremely popular event is 44 years old! Commemorating 18th century French Rendezvous, the “feast” gives enactors the opportunity to dress and live as 18th century French voyageurs and colonials, as well as members of various American, British and Scottish military units, and Indians from several Native American tribes.

Groups staked out their designated ground and pitched tents or lean-to’s and dug fire pits to cook meals and keep warm. Most slept there overnight. Many small tents welcomed visitors to peruse “18th century wares” the merchants might have sold or traded.

Hoards of folks visited this large “tent city” to see the enactors and sample 18th century fare, like buffalo (burgers) and roasted corn, followed by a cold bottle of home-made root beer. Vendors sold toy bows, swords, spears, and handcrafted skinning knives. Plush furs, jewelry, and racks of hand-sewn period clothing caught the attention of many as well.

Visitors enjoyed 18th century music performed at the open air venues. Here you might listen to a quintet of French Voyageurs singing a lively tune; over there you could linger and enjoy an octet of folks playing Dulcimers. Further down the hill a large group of British Soldiers played a number of drum and fife tunes.

The audience and enactors, a cross-section of middle-America, clearly enjoyed celebrating their heritage. And more than a few learned a bit about our American history. As for Mary and me . . . we plan to return in 2011!

Log Cabin Tools

noreply@blogger.com (Rustic Replicas) — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 22:11:00 +0000

This photo was taken inside a tool shed at the home of Thomas Lincoln. Thomas Lincoln was the father of Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the U.S.A. As you can see, a lot of cutting and shaping tools were needed to build a log cabin home, barn and other structures and maintain an 1840s farm. See the big, two-man cross-cut saw with it's massive teeth? This saw was used to quickly tear through large logs. In the corner is a sickle used to cut hay and grain crops like wheat, oats and bran. There are also an assortment of axes and adzes and smaller finishing saws. I don't see any awls, augers, planes or chisels. . . these tools might have been stored elsewhere as they were more refined and required care in maintaining their razor-sharp edges. A carpenter might have dozens of planes, each with a different cutting profile, that could be used to create grooves, rounded edges or smooth the surface of a board.

Native American Home

noreply@blogger.com (Rustic Replicas) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:36:00 +0000

This dwelling, the Native American tepee, appears to be cool and spacious. It was erected quickly from plentiful natural materials. The frame is long, slender saplings. The skin is large, overlapping pieces of tree bark. The bark is held in place by lashing additional saplings to the framework. The doorway is large. . . allowing good air circulation. The structure is waterproof and most of it is portable.To me, the teepee was a practical, high-tech invention of the seventeenth century. This particular tepee was erected at St Ignace in the upper peninsula of Michigan. In contrast, the early European settlers built small structures constructed of massive amounts of timber-framed logs, stone, mud and brick. Their log cabin homes were built to last for many years rather than a few seasons.

Fort St Louis

noreply@blogger.com (Rustic Replicas) — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 14:50:00 +0000

Starved Rock State Park is located, one mile south of Utica, Illinois along the Illinois River. Here, at the end of the last Ice Age, glacial melt cut through soft, sandstone bluffs, carving over a dozen deep, narrow canyons.

In May of 1673, Louis Jolliet, Father Marquette, and five French voyageurs in two canoes, were the first Europeans to travel through the Starved Rock area. They were returning to St. Ignace (located on the upper peninsula of Michigan) from an exploration of the upper Mississippi River.

Father Marquette returned to the area in 1675 to establish a Mission in the large Kaskaskia Indian village located across the Illinois River from Starved Rock.

In time, New France claimed the entire Mississippi Valley and all of the Great Lakes. To defend their claim, the French built a chain of rough-hewn forts throughout the Great Lakes and along important river routes. As the Illinois River was the quickest route from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River, a southern defense, named Fort St. Louis, was contructed atop Starved Rock in the winter of 1682-83. The new fort commanded a strategic position high above the last rapids on the Illinois River.

In February 1684, 500 Iroquois warriors attacked the new log fort. Command of the fort was shared by explorer Henri Tonti and French army officer, Chevalier Baugy. Their command consisted of a tiny army of twenty-two French soldiers, traders, trappers and craftsmen along with twenty-four Shawnee, Miami and Loup warriors and their families.

Perched high above the river, Fort St Louis could not be taken by direct attack. The Iroquois tried, several times, and failed. The Iroquois warriors had no other choice but surround and starve the people in the fort. The French were short of food and gunpowder. . . but so were the Iroquois who had just traveled from their homelands east of Lake Erie . . . on foot! The food supplies and equipment they carried were minimized to gain speed. Now their supplies were gone and the Iroquois were forced to rely on local food sources. As you can imagine, 500 hungry men could quickly deplete local food sources. For eight days the Iroquois attackers hung on, sniping, probing the forts’ defenses, torturing a few captives. As the days passed, it became obvious to the Iroquois that they had no choice but to return home.

By the early 1700s, the French had abandoned Fort St Louis and moved to what is now called Peoria, where they built Fort Pimitoui. Over the next twenty years, the remains of Fort St. Louis, now a haven for trappers and traders, slowly disappeared.

The diorama pictured was researched and built by the History/Social Science Department and students of the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy in Aurora, Illinois. This reconstruction is based on descriptions of the fort by LaSalle, Henri Joutel, property deeds, business and French army documents. These sources describe the fort of 1684 as upright logs and earthworks of about 600 feet in circumference which protected housing for up to fifty men, contained seven bastions, a storehouse, forge, officers’ quarters, a chapel and at least three traders’ log cabins.

Ozaukee County Pioneer Village

noreply@blogger.com (Rustic Replicas) — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 16:51:00 +0000

A few weeks ago, we visited a Pioneer Village, about thirty miles north of Milwaukee. The weather was great and the log cabin homes , various shops, a school and a barn are well maintained and open to the public. Most of the buildings are also furnished.

One small building of interest is common in the rural areas around Quebec Province, Canada. It is a small chapel, built in the 1840s and dedicated to St. Apollinaris. I learned, St Apollinaris was one of the first bishops and a martyr of the early Catholic church.

Generally, in Canada, two of these chapels were built along a main road, flanking the local parish church. Perhaps German communities shared this tradition with the French?

La Salle and Le Griffon - Part 3

noreply@blogger.com (Rustic Replicas) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 16:48:00 +0000

Image of Le Griffon from an old wood block

In 1678, while The Griffon project was being executed, La Salle had sent about a dozen men and merchandise to Michilimackinac to begin trading with the Illinois Indians. This advance party of Frenchmen, eventually convinced themselves that La Salle would never successfully build a large sailing ship in the wilderness and sail it on the Great Lakes. Hence, they chose to serve their own self-interests rather than carry out La Salle’s orders.

At Michilimackinac, a handful of these mutinous men, as well as what was rightfully La Salle’s trade goods and furs, were seized. A posse, lead by La Salle's second in command, Tonty, was sent to Sault Ste. Marie to arrest a few more deserters and recover more of La Salle’s property.

As the summer season was nearly over, La Salle ordered is men to raise anchor. The Griffon set sail for the straits and into Lake Michigan (then called Lake Illinois) on September 12. A fair wind propelled the ship to Washington island, situated at the entrance to La Grand Baie, now called Green Bay, about forty leagues from Michilimackinac. Washington Island was inhabited by Pottawatomie.

Some of the party La Salle had sent to Lake Illinois, the previous year, were found here. They had followed the instructions of their employer and traded merchandise for nearly twelve thousand pounds of furs, in anticipation of the arrival of the Griffon. The ship anchored in a small bay, known now as Detroit Harbor, on the south side of the island, and weathered a violent storm that lasted four days.

Winter was not far away. La Salle’s crew packed the Griffon with the furs and were ordered to sail back to the Niagara River and store the furs at a log cabin warehouse that had been built above Niagara Falls. From here, the men would transship the furs to Fort Frontenac where they would be used to settle La Salle’s debts.

La Salle did not accompany his crew aboard the Griffon. Instead, he planned to travel by canoe south to the head of Lake Michigan and on to the land of the Illinois.

La Salle could only trade for four canoes. Hence, much of the merchandise and supplies he planned to take with him on his southern exploration was left on the Griffon with instructions to drop it off at Michillimackinac and then proceed to the Niagara River.

On September 18, the crew prepared to sail. A west wind slowly propelled the Griffon from her safe harbor. A single cannon thundered as she bade “farewell” to La Salle and his small party of French explorers.

The Griffon, under the command of the pilot, Luc and assisted by a crew of five experienced sailors, carried a fabulous cargo of great value.

Nothing more was heard or seen of her. . . until recently!

La Salle and the Griffin, Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Rustic Replicas) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 14:52:00 +0000

In 1678-79 La Salle, the famous French Explorer, financed the construction of the first sailing ship on the Great Lakes. The ship was built in the wilderness near on the Niagara River. La Salle’s plan was to buy a ship-load of furs at deeply-discounted wilderness prices and sell them in Montreal at a huge profit.

In May 1679, the massive hull of the sailing ship was launched, sliding easily off her stocks into the Niagara River. A party of Iroquois Indians who witnessed the launching were shocked that the Frenchmen could build what the Iroquois thought was a large, floating fort in so short a time.
LaSalle named his ship Le Griffon (The Griffin), after a mystical creature with the body and legs of a lion and the beak and wings of an eagle. The ship carried a carved image of Le Griffon on her bow.

The Griffin was anchored in the Niagara River for several weeks while her masts and rigging were completed and supplies and gear carried aboard. The ship was loaded with all necessary arms, merchandise and provisions, including seven cannon.

On August 7, 1679, Le Griffon was towed into Lake Erie. A wished-for wind from the northeast arose. The 32 Frenchmen on board asked God to bless their venture as Le Griffon got underway.

For eons, the Native Americans could only hug the safety of the shore as they paddled their fragile canoes around the lakes. Le Griffon was the first craft to boldly cross the fresh-water seas called the Great Lakes.

Three days later, August 10th, Le Griffon reached the Detroit River, sailing between Grosse Isle and Bois Blanc island. The river was bordered on each side by vast prairies. In the distance were hills covered with vines, fruit trees, thickets and tall forest trees. Wild game abounded, including many species new to the crew. Soon the sails used to shade the deck of the Griffin, sagged with the carcasses of several deer killed by the crew. A variety of trees suitable for building covered the shore. Nut and fruit trees as well as wild vines, heavy with ripening grapes, grew in abundance.

The Griffon entered Lake Huron on August 23, crossed the Bay of Saginaw and was becalmed among the islands of Thunder Bay. Near Presque Isle on the 25th and 26th of August, the ship was battered by storms and rough seas.

On the 27th of August the ship rounded Point St. Ignace, and anchored in the bay of Michilimackinac. Here the crew found a settlement of Huron, Ottawa and a few Frenchmen.

The weary crew rejoiced as The Griffin anchored in this safe harbor. A salute was fired from the deck, and thrice answered by Huron firearms. The Franciscans celebrated Mass in the chapel of the Ottawa, thanking God for their safe arrival. La Salle attended the Mass, dressed in fine clothes, including a scarlet cloak bordered with gold lace. More than a hundred bark canoes, filled with curious Indians, swirled around the mighty ship.