User:Markethunter

Well, some of you might be wondering why I chose Markethunter as a screen name, and what does it mean? A market hunter was a longhunter, men who lived on the frontier of the central colonies, Virginian, North Carolina, Pennsylvania in the mid to late 18th Century They would venter out into the land beyond the Appalachian Mountains, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, for the purpose of obtaining white tailed deerskins. Starting in spring, these men would hunt in groups, and end their hunts in fall after the first frost or two. Deerskins taken in this time were better for tanning and making all sorts of items-moccasins, leggings, pouches, breeches. One deerskin weighed about 2.5 pounds, and the price per pound was about 40 cents, thus one buck for one buck. Some hunters got rich, others didn't. Sometimes they stayed out for a year. Daniel Boone, a longhunter, stayed for two years in Kentucky, 1769-1771. They had their troubles on the frontier, wolves, bears, panthers, the elements, and such tribes as the Shawnee or Cherokee. Sometimes their skins were stolen by these tribes. Sometimes the men died quick and suddenly. They had to be ever watchful, ever aware of their surroundings. After hunting in smaller groups of twos and threes (attracted less attention), they would rendezvous back at their base camp, caching and packing the hides on horses to take back to the market. In times of need they would have to live off the land, but at their camps they had a well stocked camp to return to at night. These were some of the first frontiersmen-Daniel Boone, Simon Kenton, Spencer and Laban Recrords, Elisha Wallen, and Uriah Stone.

I have found the longhunters' lives interesting, hence my interest in the colonial period. I do like other parts of history, but the colonial one is probably my favorite. I portray a longhunter in colonial events. While I find their lives appealing, I would like to set some things in order. I do not condone the taking of deer, or any animal just for the skin. In this day and age, we are taught conservation (I took Hunter's Safety). Also, the violence that was prevalent on the frontier is indeed, to say the least, unfortunate. Now, sometimes fighting against the American Indians was just (defending your family), and other times it was not (killing them just because they enjoyed it). It was, unfortunately, terrible on both sides. Whites and Indians would raid, pillage, and plunder. Scalping were common, as was mutilation. Homes were burned, as were crops, and families were torn apart. While we look at this today with disdain, we must remember that history cannot be looked at through present eyes. You must look at the past through the eyes of the past. I am not trying to make excuses, but rather give an understanding of why people did what they did. The longhunters were hunters (surprise surprise), and to them, making money by killing deer for there skins was right up their tree. Fighting the Indians was so that they could survive. Indeed, both sides were just trying to survive. But, the longhunters eventually put themselves out of a job. They, along with Indian hide hunters, killed millions of deer in the land between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River. The longhunters were followed by settlers, who put up stations, forts, and towns, which eventually became cities. The West of then became the East. The Indians, after being moved multiple times, were moved to Oklahoma and Kansas, to be put on reservations. Every story has some dark parts, yet every story should be told. A friend of mine who has been a historical interpreter for all his life said that we must tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. And so I shall strive to do so.

To learn more about the longhunters, I would recommend two books for starters. The Hunters of Kentucky and The Long Hunt. Both are by Ted Franklin Belue. I found them good books, and if you so choose to read them, I hope you will too. Also, you can check out artists such as David Wright and Andrew Knez, Jr. to see what the longhunters as they would have been.

With that, I bid you farewell, to keep your nose to the wind, and to keep your powder dry.

Markethunter