Student weekly plan

Week 1: Oct 12-16, 2020 Teacher: White Grade Level: 7 Subject: Social Studies Q2: Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Specials Measurable Objective: I can explain what I can write a script for a role- Continued I can write a story of being a mountain (Students will be able to…) bartering is. play exercise. from Tuesday man and bartering for goods.

Materials: Economic Literacy pages Learn360 video Learn360 video 2-3 George Washington’s letter The Fur Trade packet Word Bank template with assignment details Question of the Day What is bartering? Who was George Washington Who was What is a mountain man? before he was president? William Smallwood? Email [email protected] or call 602-285-3003 Read or Watch: Watch: Watch: Segments 1 & 2 Complete Watch: The students need to sign in to access https://www.youtube.co https://learn360.infobase.com/ script https://learn360.infobase.com/PortalPlayl the videos housed in learn360. m/watch?v=TrOgdem- PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=14761 ists.aspx?wID=147611&xtid=68022&loid= Username: Riverbend WkE 1&xtid=129715 Read: George 311418 Password: digital Read: Economic Literacy Washington’s letter to William Read: The Fur Trade Pages 2-3 Smallwood

Do: Word bank: surplus, Script: Write a role-play script as Complete Scenario: You are a mountain man and Attend Zoom for https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7149830494 bartering, profitable William Smallwood is bartering script getting ready for the winter months. You Specials at 4?pwd=NFAxc00vY1dHMEZmbENWSjdKd Define all words in the for supplies for George need to fill your trunk before the weather 11:00am EhDZz09 template. Washington. gets to cold. Write a story about your life Meeting ID: 788 as a mountain man and how you survive 9909 4093 Meeting ID: 714 9830 4944 the winter months. Please include bartering, fur trade, items needed in your trunk, and how you survive or maybe didn’t survive. Organizer Zoom at 12:30 for lunch with Zoom at 12:30 for lunch with Mrs. White Mrs. White Assignments Assignment: Watch video, Assignment: Watch video, read Complete Assignment: Write a story following the Turn in this week’s Please turn in assignments only. Do not define new words, read letter, write a script for a role- script and turn scenario above. It needs to be at least 2 assignments. return the entire packet. Please take a page 2 and complete play exercise. it in. pages in length. picture of completed work or scan them assessment on page 3. and either text or email them to me. If Turn in the assessment. you are returning your assignments to Keep the word bank the school, please only return the graded template to complete assignments and not the entire packet. throughout this unit. The information from the packet should be put in a folder or binder for future use. Quarter 2 Social Studies Word Bank

Please add new words and their definition. Keep this page. Please send me a picture or PDF to be graded.

Surplus

Bartering

Profitable

Instructions:

On page 2 is a letter from General George Washington to William Smallwood of the Continental Congress. It is dated Feb 21, 1778. George Washington was serving in the Army, fighting the Revolutionary War. Using what you've learned about bartering and the Revolutionary War, create a role-play script of William Smallwood bartering with merchants for the supplies needed by George Washington and his troops. To BRIGADIER GENERAL WILLIAM SMALLWOOD Head Quarters, Valley Forge, February 21, 1778. Sir: I have been duly favoured with yours of the 10th instant. You intirely misconceived my intention,with respect to the mode proposed of furnishing your division with shoes. I did not mean, that a shoe manufactory should be established for the purpose, but only, that you should contract with private persons, in the way of barter, to furnish you with such a Number of shoes, and to be paid for them, at stipulated rates, in raw hides. This is the mode, which has been, with success, pursued in several instances, and which, I should be glad, if you can find an opportunity, you would embrace. With respect to the proposition from Governor Johnson, I have no objection to your sending the officers required. You know the scope of his requisition, and what the ends of it demand, and will act accordingly. You mention some scruples, as to the operation of our articles of war, with regard to intentional, or attempted desertion. Cases of mere intention, unexpressed in any act, notwithstanding the confession of the Criminal, I do not conceive, to fall within the meaning of that article, which particularly relates to desertion, or to be susceptible of capital punishment; but where intention and any act, expressive of it, correspond, I think there can be no doubt of the propriety of construing it into desertion, and inflicting the sentence of the law. When a man is found at an improper distance from camp, or circumstances that indicate an attempt to desert, he is certainly to be considered and treated as a deserter. If not the attempt, or nothing but the full execution of his design, were to be deemed desertion, the crime could never, or very rarely be ascertained, for, in order to that, it would be necessary, the soldier should have been actually with the enemy and afterwards recovered. When difficulties occur, the spirit rather than the letter of the law is to be consulted, and this appears clearly to be intended by that part of the oath prescribed to courts martial, which declares, “that when any doubts shall arise which is not explained by the articles, the court is to determine, according to conscience, the best of their understanding, and the custom of War in like cases.”

George Washington Papers, Series 3, Subseries 3B, Varick Transcripts, Letterbook 5 http://www.loc.gov/resource/mgw3b.005 THE FUR TRADE

It would be the attempt to discover the "Northwest Passage" that would lead to the eventual start of the North American fur trade. The "Northwest Passage" was an overland route believed to a quicker and more direct route to the Far East, this never proved to be true. However, instead of a viable land route for migration, explorers discovered a vast reserve of Beavers in the lakes and streams they took while trying to discover this passageway to the East. The Beaver had been extinct in Europe for years due to their highly sought after pelts that were used for hat making or other luxury items.

While the exploration of the "Northwest Passage" gave Americans the first glimpse of the potential beaver trade, the first real discovery of this abundance of beavers was credited to the French during the 17th and 18th centuries in both Canada and the US. Eventually it would be the conclusion of the French-Indian war against the British that would shuffle the French out of the region ushering in a age of British control of the Fur Trade in North America. Following the French defeat the Hudson Bay Company took control of basically every fur outlet, monopolizing the market for the next two decades. By 1787, frustrated by the monopoly that Hudson Bay Company had, independent trappers formed a coalition named the Northwest Company to challenge that monopoly. This company rivalry would eventually lead to competition in securing frontier forts, bribery, thievery, , and sometimes even murder. After news spread to the British about the actions of the two companies, government officials forced both companies to merge under the single name of Hudson's Bay Trading Company. After this merger the Hudson's Bay Companies only competition was the American Fur Company and the Russian Otter trade that was booming on the pacific coast. This all would happen after the War of 1812 had established duel use for both British and Americans in the Oregon Territory. With the battle lines drawn the Hudson's Bay Company issued orders for its trappers to hunt the beaver into extinction in the Northwest to create a Beaver free buffer zone that would keep the Americans out of prime British trapping territory. This order would prove to be the first in a hotly contested industry that was just getting underway in North America. 7 After a short pause in the Beaver trade during the war of 1812 the American Beaver trade reignited and the rush to get the valuable pelts was on again. New Companies such as the Rocky Mountain Fur Trading Company sprung up to beginning trapping the Beaver in large numbers starting in 1824. This company would set the standard for trappers everywhere in the region with the establishment of the "Rendezvous" which was held annually and would be a tie of trading in pelts for goods needed to restart the trapping hunter for the next year. This was a deviation from the traditional method of relying on local Indians to provide the pelts in trade for common goods. From this staging point new bases of operation began to show up in the central and southern Rocky Mountains also. It would be the abundance of hunters and trading posts that would lead to the eventual collapse of the Beaver industry. Over trapping and shifting fashion interests in Europe contributed to the swift decline in the Beaver trade in Northern America. By 1840 the Beaver trade was completely finished, however the trappers who had been a part of the trade soon found fame in a variety of different professions such as hunting guides, army scouts, or explorers. This would prove to add to their legend, solidifying the Beaver/Fur trade as a staple of the American West. THE BEAVER

The Beaver is a water dwelling animal that is brown in color and is approximately 4 feet in length weighing around 40 pounds. The Beaver is the world’s second largest rodent. The Beaver tail is notably flat, rounded in appearance and is made up of rough skin that resembles scales. The Beaver uses its tail to signal other beavers by slapping its tail in the water also using its tail to navigate while it was in the water. It can seal its ears, mouth and nose when it is underwater and is an agile swimmer using its webbed hind feet to propel itself in the water. The Beaver eats primarily the bark of birch, willow, and cottonwood trees while favoring the Aspen tree

8 the most. Beavers emit an odorous substance to mark its territory called Castoreum This Castoreum would be used to attract the Beaver to areas where trappers had laid traps and subsequently catch the Beaver in the trap. According to Indian legend the Beaver was worshipped and believed by some tribes to cause thunder with its large tail. Indians would believe that the reincarnated would become Beavers and thus Beavers in close proximity to a tribe were considered family in some instances and would not be hunted. Soon however, with the white man’s intrusion in to the area Indians began to hunt the Beaver to trade for much sought after goods like rifles or metal tools manufactured in the United States.

In the Wyoming area, Beaver was one of the most sought after animals in the region for one reason, its pelt. It was not the fur of the Beaver that made it so valuable to trappers, it was the rough barbed under hair called the pelt (pictured above). This under hair would be pounded, mashed, stiffened then rolled to make felting material for hats. Hats of all types were produced in Europe and in America using the pelt of the Beaver due to its popular color and pliable pelt (pictured left). Virtually every European had a Beaver hat, even some military figures had hats made from beaver. Many shapes and sizes were made to satisfy the European fashion trends at the time. However, as the trends in fashion shifted towards and other materials, the Beaver demand melted away bringing to an end the Beaver trade. As quickly as it came, the rush for Beaver was over, with the Mountain Men who trapped Beaver moving on to other endeavors earning themselves spots as legends of the American West.

9 MOUNTAIN MEN OF WYOMING

The tale of the Mountain Man would not be complete without Wyoming. The Wyoming territories played a crucial role in the Beaver/Fur Trade in America. Before trading posts were established in the area, Wyoming provided a route to the Pacific Northwest where the first rush for Beaver took place. Famous explorer Robert Stuart is credited in 1812 with finding the south pass, which would later be known as the Oregon Trail. This south pass would be the gateway to the west as thousands of settlers traveled this path in the following years to either strike it rich in California, or simply start fresh in booming cities such as San Francisco. Stuart would not stop at just discovering the South Pass as 10 miles farther down the trail he located what he called "Fiery Narrows" which is today a national landmark located thirty miles west of Casper. Stuart is also credited with building Wyoming's first cabin at Bessemer Bend while preparing to hold up for the winter, however he relocated his camp near Torrington after threats from local Indians forced them to change plans.

In 1820 a Fur trapper who went by the name LaRamee told close friends that he was going up the Platte River to establish a base to trap Beavers and would return the following spring. When LaRamee never returned, his friends who became worried sent out a search party that included Jim Bridger. After the return of the search party the public learned that LaRamee's body had been found after a 23 day hike up the Platte River. This was an accepted end to the story however, years later Jim Bridger (pictured above) would sit down with a friend and tell a different story. Bridger described the search and contradicting the official story stating that they found a half- finished cabin and one broken Beaver trap but no LaRamee. Bridger would go on to say that two years after the search failed to turn up LaRamee a local Arapahoe tribe had told him that they had killed LaRamee and put his body under the ice near a Beaver dam. Regardless of the real story, LaRamees name lives on in the region with towns such as Laramie, Wyoming

10 being named after him, along with Fort Laramie, Laramie River, Laramie Peak, and many other notable places around the state.

Forts in the Wyoming territory played a major role in the continuation of the Beaver Trade. Most notably, Fort Laramie was one of the most strategically important forts in the area, first being used as a trapping fort by the Hudson's Bay Company. After trading hands many times, even though the grip of Jim Bridger himself, Fort Laramie changed its role to a more military nature with the Fort being used in later years to protect wagon trains, the Pony Express, and to keep local bands of aggressive Indians at bay. The Fort was used up until 1890 when it was abandoned and lay dormant until 1937 when the State of Wyoming bought the fort and designated it a National Historic Site in 1938. Like Fort Laramie, Fort Bridger, which was first built by Jim Bridger, would suffer the same fate-supplying trappers with greatly needed supplies until the Beaver Trade concluded in the area. Fort Bridger was then converted into a Military outpost until its eventual abandonment in 1890. While forts played a key role in highlighting Wyoming's part in the Beaver/Fur trade, the annual trappers "Rendezvous" would make Wyoming legend for its involvement in the Fur Trade. THE ANNUAL RENDEZVOUS

The annual trapper rendezvous was a gathering of hunter, trappers, Indians, and merchants that last for 16 years until the end of the Fur/Beaver trade in the area in 1840. The rendezvous was the creation of William Ashley a famous fur trading company owner. Originally Indians would trade pelts with the local outpost for common goods such as food or hunting materials. Ashley saw an opportunity and created the first ever Trappers Rendezvous in 1825 at Henrys Fork on the Green River. At the rendezvous Ashley would bring in commodities from the states to refit fur traders for the 11 next season while buying pelts from the previous haul. Trappers would usually buy and sell goods, celebrate and relax for several weeks because of the midsummer lull in Beaver hunting. Understandably this Rendezvous would turn in to a raging wild party full of hybrid Indian rituals, fighting, gambling, and many other explicit activities that would let the Mountain Men get a taste of civilization before heading back off in to the wilderness for the next years trapping trips. During the Rendezvous, due to the scarcity of products, selling beaver pelts at a low rate while buying trapping necessities at a high rate was common. After the Rendezvous was held trappers were encouraged to explore new areas to trap, which led to many of the Mountain Men becoming pathfinders for more viable routes to the Pacific although many would stick around the Rocky Mountain region until the end of the Beaver trade. Wyoming is best known for the Rendezvous due to the fact that most of the gatherings were held in Wyoming Territory at the time. In all, approximately 11 Rendezvous were held in Wyoming due to grass/water supply, availability of wood for and game for sport. The most suitable site was considered to be in the vicinity of Horse Creek and Green River, near present day Daniel, Wyoming. In all 6 of the rendezvous were held at this location making the region synonymous to the mountain men and their legends. By 1840, with demand dropping for pelts, fewer than 120 trappers found their way to what was the final Rendezvous down from a high of over 2000 people in 1837.

12 TRUNK CONTENTS

-Beaver Pelt -Hawk Bells (6) -Powder Horn

-Belt -Horn Comb -Steel Beaver Trap

-Bullet Mold -Jaw Harp -Steel Points (3)

-Castor Bottle -“Jim Bridger” Hat -Steel Striker

-Clay Trade Pipes (2) -Knife Sheath -

-Cloth Caps (2) -Lead Balls (3) -Tinder Box

-Cloth Shirt -Lead Bar -Tobacco Canteen

-Playing Cards -Leather Bag -Tomahawk

-Flintlock Pistol -Moccasins -Trade Cloth (2)

-Flintstone -Percussion Lock Piece -Trade Mirror

-Glass Trade Beads (3) -Possibles Bag -Trade Silver Pieces (2)

-Green River Knife -Trousers -Twist Tobacco

-Wooden Dice (4) -Wooden Water Canteen

2 DESCRIPTION OF TRUNK CONTENTS

BEAVER PELT: The primary fur-bearing animal trapped during the era of the mountain man. It was traded with fur companies for essential materials needed to survive a winter in the mountains.

BELT: This belt, made of heavy tanned leather with a hand-forged buckle, was worn outside of the shirt and held a knife, tobacco bag, and other personal items. It was wider than the inner belt which was used to hold up trousers, when one was used at all.

BULLET MOLD: These came in various sizes, depending on the size or type of the bullet that was needed. (Included are two different sizes of bullets.) The size of the bullet determines the “caliber” of the weapon. Hot liquid lead was poured into the mold and cooled to form the round ball.

CASTOR BOTTLE: Taking a peeled willow wand, the trapper would dip into his castor bottle, which contained castoreum produced from beaver glands. He would spread this yellowish substance near his trap, generally on a limb poised above it. The castoreum produced a scent that attracted beavers from miles away to the location of the trap.

CLAY TRADE PIPES (2): the practice of smoking tobacco was common among most of the fur trappers and Indians. Clay pipes were light and could be packed anywhere. They were cheap to make and were used for trade between whites and Indians.

CLOTH CAPS (2): Caps were worn by mountain men chiefly during the winter months for warmth. The styles were so numerous that rarely two were alike. The stocking cap was highly popular with the French-Canadian voyagers. Most were personally decorated with furs, feathers and quilled or beaded designs. Scottish bonnets were worn by trappers from Scotland and decorated with trade silver pieces.

CLOTH SHIRT: Cloth shirts were worn in the summer when the heat made buckskin clothing uncomfortable. These shirts could be worn under buckskin in the winter for additional warmth. They could be made of , wool, linsey-woolsy, calico, muslin, , or pillow ticking and were commonly used as a trade item.

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DESCRIPTION OF TRUNK CONTENTS (Cont’d)

DECK OF PLAYING CARDS: Many mountain men passed the long winters, and the Rendezvous, gambling with playing cards. Take note of the colored face cards, which include four U.S. Presidents.

FLINTSTONE: The stone and striker were used to start fires much the same way that we use . The flint would be struck on the steel to produce a . The spark could be “captured” on char cloth and placed into tinder in order to start a flame. (The flint could also be used in flintlock ignition system to fire a rifle or pistol. See also Steel Striker.)

GLASS TRADE BEADS (3): There were numerous styles of glass beads that were used as trade items with the various Native American tribes; a few have been included as examples.

GREEN RIVER KNIFE: This was the trapper’s favorite type of knife. The knives were practical, light, abundant and relatively inexpensive. Because of hard use, the knives frequently wore out but were easy to replace. They were named “Green River” after John Russell’s forge on the Green River in Massachusetts. (CAUTION: THIS BLADE HAS BEEN DULLED BUT SHOULD BE HANDLED VERY CAREFULLY.)

HAWK BELLS (6): These were traded to the Indians for the purpose of decorating clothing.

HORN COMB: The cow horn comb included in the Trunk has “teeth” of two sizes. The larger teeth were used to straighten the hair while the smaller teeth were used to comb out lice.

JAW HARP: Also known as a mouth fiddle and gewgaw, the harp was used as a musical instrument and often accompanied the jovial and out-of-tune singing of the mountain men. The origin of the harp is not known but I can be traced to the 16th century.

JIM BRIDGER WOOL HAT: Hats, styled such as this, were what made the beaver so popular. Although the hat included in the trunk is made of wool, the shape was common to the period and viewed as fashionable in Europe and America.

KNIFE SHEATH: Case for the blade of a knife made of buckskin or rawhide.

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DESCRIPTION OF TRUNK CONTENTS (Cont’d)

LEAD BALLS (6): Round bullets of the type used before modern ammunition. (Bullets are .67 caliber.)

LEATHER BAR: Bars similar to this were brought to the mountains and served as the raw material for bullets. The lead would be heated until it was in liquid form and then poured into a bullet mold. As it cooled, the lead would become solid and formed into the desired size for bullets.

LEATHER BAG: A handy drawstring pouch such as this was ideal for carrying the mountain man’s flint and steel, musket balls or dice.

MOCCASINS: These were worn by virtually all the mountain men. They were comfortable, durable and more suited to their mountain lifestyles than store-bought shoes. They also enabled the trapper to move about quietly.

PERCUSSION LOCK PIECE: A type of ignition system for firearms of the period. A brass cap is placed on the nipple and when struck by the hammer, a spark is sent into the breach to fire the weapon. The percussion/cap system was more efficient than the flintlock system and by 1850 the majority of firearms being made were of this type.

POSSIBLES BAG: This bag served as the carrying pouch for items the mountain man might “possibly” have needed, such as tools for the firearms, tinder to start fires, bullets and personal gear.

POWDER HORN: A hollowed out horn from a cow or buffalo was used to store the black powder needed to fire a pistol or rifle.

STEEL BEAVER TRAP: Traps varied in size, style, and method of setting, but the most commonly used beaver traps were double spring and weighed about four to five pounds each. A mountain man would carry six or seven traps in his leather trap sack. (TRAP SHOULD NOT BE SET!)

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DESCRIPTION OF TRUNK CONTENTS (Cont’d)

STEEL POINTS (3): An item used for trading with the Native American tribes. Indians substituted more efficient steel point over the stone point for their arrows. This allowed them to use the time that would have been used to make arrowheads for other activities.

STEEL STRIKER: The striker was used to start fires much the same way that we use matches. The flint would be struck on the steel to produce a spark. The spark could be “captured” on char cloth and placed into tinder in order to start a flame. (See also Flintstone.)

TINDER: Tinder was used to start a fire. Char cloth was also used which consisted of cotton squares that had been charcoaled with fire so that they will readily hold a spark. A magnifying glass could be used instead of the flint and striker to produce a spark on the tinder or char cloth.

TINDER BOX: This style of box is similar to that issued to the trappers by the Hudson’s Bay company during the fur trade era. Tinder along with the flint and striker could be carried in the box and used to start fires. A magnifying glass could be used instead of the flint and striker to produce a spark on the char cloth. The char cloth consists of cotton squares that have been charcoaled with fire so that they will readily hold a spark.

TOBACCO CANTEEN: Made from rawhide sewn together when wet, pounded full of sand and allowed to dry. Popular for strong tobacco, but can be used to store beads, percussion caps, small caliber lead bullets, and other items.

TRADE CLOTH (2): Since Native Americans did not produce cloth, this item was one of several that was transported to the mountains and used by the mountain men to trade for furs or other items they might have needed.

TOMAHAWK: This was an item that figured prominently in both the trade and personal life of the mountain man. Tomahawks and trade axes of numerous styles circulated widely throughout the fur trade region. Sometimes designs such as weeping hearts were cut into the blades of the “hawks.” Brass tacks nearly always adorned the handle and beaded pendants were frequently seen on Indian-owned tomahawks. (CAUTION: EDGE HAS BEEN DULLED, BUT STILL REQUIRES CAREFUL HANDLING.)

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DESCRIPTIONS OF TRUNK CONTENTS (Cont’d)

TRADE MIRROR: Another item used for trading with the various Native American tribes.

TRADE SILVER PIECES (2): During the later years of the fur trade era, the mountain men traded silver to the Plain Indians in exchange for furs. The Indians used the silver as ornaments on their clothing and in their hair.

TROUSERS: These 1820s men’s trousers are made of cotton canvas with pewter buttons to which suspenders were attached. Cloth pants like these were bought from back east. As they disintegrated due to the wear and tear of the rigorous outdoor life, many men patched the trousers with deerskin or lined them with animal skin to extend their useful life. Ultimately the cotton trousers fell apart and they were replaced by clothing fashioned from animal skins, as the mountain man left behind Anglo culture and embraced native American culture in order to survive in the mountains.

TWIST TOBACCO: A form of tobacco used by mountain men. Tobacco was either chewed or smoked or put against a tooth to alleviate a toothache.

WOODEN DICE: Many mountain men passed the long winters, and the Rendezvous, gambling dice.

WOODEN WATER CANTEEN: Pinewood construction with nailed wooden hoops, lined with brewers pitch. Common among many fur trappers.

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