Francis Parkman Describes Gear Used By 19th-Century Frontier Horsemen

READ THIS PRIMARY SOURCE TO LEARN WHAT GEAR FRONTIER HORSEMEN USED.

Primary sources are a great way to learn about history. Like I ask students in my history class, “Would you rather learn about what the moon is like from me or Neil Armstrong?” It’s a no-brainer that you’d rather talk to Neil Armstrong. He actually went there and experienced it. You can think about primary sources the same way. Basically, historical artifacts offer you the chance to sit down and learn about the past directly from the person who experienced it. Although primary sources can have their faults (bias, purpose, limited knowledge, etc.) they are a great resource for historians.

If you are a horseman, primary sources may also have a practical side. That’s because, for the most part, the modern world of horses still resembles the old world. Meaning, that horses are still horses, tack is still tack, people are still people, and the world is still the world. Sometimes we think that just because technology has changed all around us it means that everything is different. Although there is some truth there, the reality is that modern horses are more the same than they are different from horses of the past. Of course, breeding has certainly changed horses, but the fundamental animal is still the same. Because of this, many of the things historic horsemen did are still relevant. If you are into camping with your horses, one historic horseman who leaves you with a great resource is Francis Parkman.

Francis Parkman

Francis Parkman. Image via wikicommons.

Francis Parkman was a man who traveled the first half of the Oregon Trail in 1846. Essentially, Parkman was a fresh college grad who wanted to experience the romance of the West while it still existed. As a result, that spring he set out and joined an expedition in Westport, Missouri. Eventually, he traveled west to Fort Laramie, before traversing the Laramie Peak range near present-day Wheatland, Wyoming. While in this region, he and some companions met with a band of Oglala Sioux. For several weeks, Parkman lived, hunted, and traveled with these nomadic people before returning home. Several years later, he would publish a book of his adventures titled The Oregon Trail. It is a great book for anyone interested in the history of the American West.

Although this book is a great general source, it does hold some very practical information about historical horse gear. Parkman traveled over 1,200 miles on horseback just traveling to and from Fort Laramie to Westpoint. That doesn’t count all of his travels in the Laramie Peak range. During that time, he went through a variety of situations that we still experience today. Of course, they had to camp along the way. While doing so, Parkman left a record of some of their tools, equipment, and tactics. If you are interested in camping with your horses, it is a great source to familiarize yourself with.

For those people who are interested, here is some of the frontier horse tack used by Francis Parkman in his journey west. Perhaps, you’ll find it interesting, and you may also find it useful in your own adventures.

Frontier Horse Gear

Fortunately, Parkman left the world a fairly detailed account of the gear he used on this expedition. For those interested, you can download the book for free on Google Play. Now, let’s take a look at some of the gear used by Parkman and his associates on the trail.

Henry Chatillon

Early on in Chapter 2, Parkman leaves us with a detailed description of Henry Chatillon's (the guide) gear.

“Foremost rode Henry Chatillon, our guide and hunter, a fine athletic figure, mounted on a hardy gray Wyandot pony. He wore a white blanket coat, a broad hat of felt, moccasons, and trousers of deer-skin, ornamented along the seams with rows of long fringes. His knife was stuck in his belt; his bullet-pouch and powder-horn hung at his side, and his rifle lay before him, resting against the high pommel of his saddle, which, like all his equipments, had seen hard service, and was much the worse for wear.”

For clarity's sake, we’ll go through the excerpt item by item to see what the guide wore and used.

Clothing

The first item mentioned is the coat. Although we don’t know for sure, we might assume the blanket coat was made of wool. Blanket coats, or capotes, constructed from Hudson’s Bay blankets were commonly worn by mountain men and other frontiersmen. Some stretched to the knees, while others were cut at the waist. However, all were made of 100% wool. This would have been one of the best materials at the time for warmth.

Of course, Catillon wore a wide-brimmed hat. These were ubiquitous on the frontier.

We can also see he wore moccasins instead of riding boots. Moccasins were almost universally worn by frontiersmen of this period.

Finally, the guide wore a pair of brain-tan trousers. These were better than homespun for the rugged use they were going to endure. I think of these as chaps they never took off.

Gear

The guide also wore a belt knife. Frontiersmen commonly wore a fixed-blad knife in their belt, similar to this Knot Wrench knife in the trading post. Personally, I prefer a solid fixed-blade knife just like these. They are safer than a folding blade knife and more durable. Also, storing them on your belt keeps them out of the way, yet still handy for use.

Firearms were also universal on the frontier. You can clearly see the guide kept his gun and associated equipment ready for use. Rifles were commonly attached to the pommel and laid across the rider’s lap for easy access.

Finally, Parkman describes the saddle as having a high pommel. Many saddles of this time were influenced by the Spanish saddles. Although the high pommel doesn’t necessarily indicate a horn, it is likely that the saddle did have a horn. Even though he wouldn’t be roping any steers, the horn may have been useful for other reasons.

Now, let’s take a look at the gear of Parkman and Shaw.

Francis Parkman & Quincy Adams Shaw

“Shaw followed close, mounted on a little sorrel horse, and leading a larger animal by a rope. His outfit, which resembled mine, had been provided with a view to use rather than ornament. It consisted of a plain, black Spanish saddle, with holsters of heavy pistols, a blanket rolled up behind, and the trail-rope attached to his horse's neck hanging coiled in front. He carried a double-barrelled smooth bore, while I had a rifle of some fifteen pounds weight. At that time our attire, though far from elegant, bore some marks of civilization, and offered a very favorable contrast to the inimitable shabbiness of our appearance on the return journey. A red flannel shirt, belted around the waist like a frock, then constituted our upper garment; moccasons had supplanted our failing boots; and the remaining essential portion of our attire consisted of an extraordinary article, manufactured by a squaw out of smoked buckskin.”

Clothing

Here Parkman describes himself and Shaw’s (his relation) gear. Although there is not much here related to clothing, perhaps there is something to learn.

The red-flannel shirts were very common at the time and extended below the waist. I’ve worn this style of shirt, and do like the way they guard against pine needles, dirt, and debris getting down your pants. The shirt is held in place by a belt like a frock.

Parkman and Shaw also note wearing moccasins instead of boots. As you can see, he was very impressed with the moccasins, describing them as “an extraordinary article.”

Gear

The saddle is a plain “Spanish saddle.” Again, this indicates a horn on the pommel. Perhaps this is helpful to hang their long guns from because I’m not sure if they used it for dallying. In fact, later in the story, Parkman has a runaway horse that he catches by the trail rope (which we’ll discuss in a moment). In that story, he actually describes wrapping the rope around his hand several times, rather than around the saddle horn. If the horn wasn’t for dallying to, what was it for? Maybe for hanging a firearm from? Or, maybe those were simply the styles available to buy? Regardless, those are the saddles described.

Moving on, Parkman notes carrying pistols. When you read it closely, it actually sounds like the holsters are on the saddle. I’m inferring this, but later in the book, there is actually some evidence for the idea. On the return trip home, Parkman notes meeting a horseman and describes him as:

“One of them was equipped with saddle and bridle; pistols were hanging at the pommel of the saddle, a carbine was slung at its side, and a blanket rolled up behind it.”

Admittedly, I’ve never seen this setup, but could imagine it similar to a horn bag today.

At this point, it might be worth interjecting another source on the topic of firearms. A man named James Florant Meline wrote a book titled Two Thousand Miles on Horseback. In this book, Meline explains the importance of carrying firearms. He relates a story about how an acquaintance of his went out unarmed across the prairie. During his ride, he met a mean-looking man armed to the teeth. According to the story, they had a brief meeting where the friend made his leave as quickly as possible. Having a fast horse, he was not worried about the ruffian, but he had learned his lesson. On the frontier, you didn’t need a firearm until you needed it. After the event, the man started packing a gun.

Take what you want from this story. Personally, I had a similar experience and know the feeling of meeting a bad guy while unarmed. As a result, I do bring a firearm on all trips. That being said, I’ve been around guns my whole life. I’m comfortable around them. If you’re not, perhaps bear spray is a better idea.

The next article of gear described is the blanket rolled up behind. Again, I’m assuming the blanket is woolen but could be wrong. On the trip, the men did sleep in canvas tents, but you can see they brought a blanket at all times. I suppose it was a “just in case” measure.

Finally, you have the trail rope. Today’s reader may refer to this as a get-down rope. Get-downs are popular on the West Coast, or with people in the bridle horse tradition. It’s interesting that these trail ropes were fairly universal on the frontier. They served as lead ropes, lariats, and picket lines all in one. When traveling, the rope was simply coiled and tied at the front of the saddle.

This William H. Jackson photo taken in 1872 clearly shows a “trail rope” described by Parkman decades earlier. Image via wikicommons.

Personally, I see a lot of utility in the trail rope idea.

Cart

In addition to the riding animals, Parkman describes having a cart driven by a muleteer named Deslauriers to haul their items. He describes it the following way.

“The cart was of the kind that one may see by scores around the market-place at Quebec, and had a white covering to protect the articles within. These were our provisions and a tent, with ammunition, blankets, and presents for the Indians.”

As already mentioned, they did bring with them a canvas tent to sleep in. Throughout the book, Parkman notes the pros and cons of that decision. At times, the tent is great, but at other times, it is pointless. It may also be worth noting the cart served as a shelter for the muleteer during storms and apparently served him well.

Other Entries

Although the entries already noted provide the bulk of references for modern horsemen to look to, there are other sources as well. Here are just a few that stand out as perhaps potentially helpful.

Hobbles

“Meanwhile our horses, now hobbled for the first time, stood among the trees, with their fore-legs tied together, in great disgust and astonishment.”

Parkman notes often the use of hobbles. However, he also notes that hobbles were ineffective in stopping the horses. The reader will need to note that Parkman’s horse is named Pontiac, and the animal gives his constant fits on the trip.

“The horses and mules were turned loose to feed. We had just taken our seats at breakfast, or rather reclined in the classic mode, when an exclamation from Henry Chatillon, and a shout of alarm from the captain, gave warning of some casualty, and looking up, we saw the whole band of animals, twenty-three in number, filing off for the settlements, the incorrigible Pontiac at their head, jumping along with hobbled feet, at a gait much more rapid than graceful. Three or four of us ran to cut them off, dashing as best we might through the tall grass, which was glittering with dewdrops. After a race of a mile or more, Shaw caught a horse. Tying the trail-rope by way of bridle round the animal's jaw, and leaping upon his back, he got in advance of the remaining fugitives, while we, soon bringing them together, drove them in a crowd up to the tents, where each man caught and saddled his own. Then were heard lamentations and curses; for half the horses had broken their hobbles, and many were seriously galled by attempting to run in fetters.”

This story reminds me of a mare I once owned. Hobbles didn’t really slow her down, and she could easily have been keeping up with Pontiac in the story. It goes to show that hobbles won’t keep a horse from running if they figure out they can move with them.

One interesting side note is that Shaw must have been pretty handy. He catches a horse, jumps on, and using the trail rope as a war bridle, drives the horses back to camp.

Of course, the story ends with half the animals breaking their hobbles. This must not have been a rare occurrence because earlier in the story Parkman wrote:

“I sat leaning against the wheel in a scanty strip of shade, making a pair of hobbles to replace those which my contumacious steed Pontiac had broken the night before.”

Rain Gear

“Our tent was none of the best defence against such a cataract (*rain storm - author’s note). The rain could not enter bodily, but it beat through the canvas in a fine drizzle, that wetted us just as effectually. We sat upon our saddles with faces of the utmost surliness, while the water dropped from the visors of our caps, and trickled down our cheeks. My india-rubber cloak conducted twenty little rapid streamlets to the ground; and Shaw's blanket coat was saturated like a sponge.”

There are a few things worth pointing on in this entry. First, is the presence of an India rubber cloak. Basically, this is a light rubber poncho. Although not common, there are plenty of references to India rubber items to know they were certainly available. It may also be worth mentioning that Shaw’s blanket coat was “saturated like a sponge.” Sometimes, we can imagine historic outdoorsmen had it all figured out. That they had perfect solutions we have since forgotten. In fact, it’s just not true and Parkman is very clear about this.

Imagine the scene. A storm is raging outside and water is coming through the tent. Everything is wet. Parkman has water running down his back. His companion is absolutely soaked. Rain is coming in. And they “sat upon (their) saddles with faces of the utmost surliness.”

Basically, it wasn’t fun. They were mad. However, they endured.

I think sometimes this might be a thing worth remembering. Not all of this outdoor living stuff is fun. It’s not like a roller coaster. However, it is rewarding. There is something to it that is deeper than the satisfaction of a roller coaster. And, at times, we may find ourselves in a situation like Francis Parkman with streams of water running down our backs. However, when those times come, we also have access to the same essential component that all outdoorsmen have always fallen back on to endure. That is resiliency.

Hopefully, this article about Francis Parkman’s gear has helped you in a few ways. Partly, I hope it helps you understand our history and the gear frontier horsemen used. Also, I hope it helps you think about your own gear in a way that helps you be better equipped. In that same breath, I hope it reminds you that it is not all about gear. They really didn’t have that much gear, and they still made a trip only a bus full of people in modern America have experienced. Finally, I hope it encourages you to get outside and enjoy the outdoors. In a busy world, perhaps some of us can benefit from the quiet world similar to what Francis Parkman experienced. In many ways, it is still there just waiting for us.