Nor' West Company

Nor' West Company's Favorite Living History and Muzzleloader Shooting "Lynx"

Click or scroll down to find great lynx (links) on these topics:

• Historical Trekking, Reenacting and Buckskinning Lynx 

• Historical Research Lynx

• Muzzleloader Shooting Lynx 

• Muzzleloader and Black Powder Safety Lynx 

• Historical and/or Traditional Alaska Lynx 

Historical Trekking, Reenacting and Buckskinning Lynx

Beginning Living History.  Everybody has to start somewhere, and Nor' West Company recommends that newcomers to the living history sports start here.  This website offers simple advice about a complex hobby. 

Coalition of Historical Trekkers is a national association of people who are interested in reenacting the day-to-day lives of historical North American frontiersmen.  The Alaska Chapter of CoHT provides educational opportunities as well as a great newsletter and opportunities for newcomers to become involved in the sport of historical trekking.  For more information about the Alaska Chapter of CoHT contact State Chapter Representative David "Music Man" Underwood.

One of our favorite webs on the Internet is  historical trekking dot com.  Owned by On The Trail magazine publisher Jason Gatliff, it has more features than I have room or bandwidth to describe.  Be sure to check out the message board.  It's very active and usually offers a tremendous amount of information of interest to living history enthusiasts.  Speaking of On The Trail magazine, it is a great source of information for those interested in historical trekking and day to day lifestyles of historical frontiersmen.  

Caribou Rock Group is an Email group moderated by Pierre Girard of Minnesota.  It started out as a communication tool to help plan a major trek in the Great Lakes region, but has since expanded to become a group in which historical trekkers can courteously share information and exchange ideas.  An 18th century living history group for people who want to do experiential archaeology while hiking or canoeing in wilderness settings.   Most expeditions will be about one week.   The name is from the Caribou Rock Trail in NE Minnesota, but expeditions may take place anywhere.   This looks to be a filthy dirty group, but we expect you to keep your language clean while posting.   There will be a list of expeditions, photos of members, canoes, and equipment, and photos and file accounts of trails, lakes, and expeditions.   There will be several upcoming canoe trips in the "Old Northwest" and I hope some of the members from warmer climes will be offering winter time wilderness treks as well.  

Historical Voyageur's Group For reenactors and historians interested in the fur trade of the voyageur era (c. 1770-1830), and focusing on the North West Company (NWC) and Hudson's Bay Company (HBC). 

Granny Lin's page provides a lot of fun information, pictures, and other great features of interest to historical trekkers from throughout the United States.  It's one of the finest personal web pages out on the world wide web.

Lee Custer, aka Walks in Shadows is a professional living history interpreter from Pennsylvania.  His site is fun to see, and he has some great lynx posted.  Don't forget to sign his guestbook.

Ellis Delahoy's  historical trekking site offers some great tips, equipment ideas and a general overview of historical trekking that is well worth the visit.

The Society of 18th Century Gentlemen describes itself as a "loosely-structured club committed to researching, reenacting and promoting the finer aspects of gentlemanly living in the Georgian era.  Lots of fun stuff in here, especially for those with a bit of historical class.

Fort Bon Secours is a recreation of a typical wilderness fur-trading post in the Great Lakes region during the French Regime (pre-French and Indian War).  A very nice web-site to visit.

Frontier Folk Net is a living-history message board that covers a wide range of historical interests.  A very congenial and helpful message board.

Swanny's Nor' West Company is in part a reenactment of the original North West Company, North America's "big player" in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century fur trade.  White Oak Society's web is a tremendous resource, especially it's on-line learning center.  It's a lynx worth tracking.

The privateer Lynx is a unique historical recreation.  At the outbreak of the War of 1812, the American Navy consisted of six frigates. In order to meet the force of the mightiest fleet in the world, the United States had to rely on ships that were privately owned and maintained.  These private warships were referred to as "privateers" and were essentially legalized pirates.  Granted "letters of marque" by President James Madison, these privateers were put into service to defend American freedom. Among them was the topsail Baltimore clipper Lynx.  Lynx is an interpretation of an actual privateer named Lynx built by Thomas Kemp in 1812 in Fell's Point, Maryland.  While Lynx has honored the spirit of the original vessel in her design and accouterments, she was modified to meet current U.S. Coast Guard regulations and safety requirements. New tools and modern techniques have only enhanced the time-honored craft of wooden boat building.

Historical Research Lynx

Historical Costuming Resources:

Costume History at The Costumer's Manifesto provides links to literally thousands of useful web-sites to help living history enthusiasts create or acquire clothing and accessories that are authentic to a specific time and place.  The time line begins well before Christ's birth and includes fashion as late as 2000.  The 18th century men's fashion page alone contains 200 different links.  I was astounded to recently learn that this site was created by UAF professor Tara Maginnis.  She's provided us a tremendously valuable resource and I recommend this site very highly.

North West Fur Trade Resources: 

Nor' West Company is in part a reenactment of the original North West Company, North America's first common-stock corporation, first trans-continental corporation, and the biggest of the "big players" in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century fur trade.  

Early Canadiana On-Line is exceptionally valuable to those interested in the fur trade of the Great Lakes and the Northwestern regions of North America.  It contains 28 of the Champlain Society's most important volumes, all of which are excellent primary resources.

Norwest Journal is the electronic version of the North West Brigade Club's "North West Journal".  Although the print version of the journal is no longer in publication, the on-line version is going great guns, and is one of the best sources of information specific to the North West Fur Trade that I am aware of.  HIGHLY recommended.

White Oak Society's web is a tremendous resource, especially it's on-line learning center.  It's a lynx worth tracking.

Rendez-vous North West web is provided by Productions Rivard, producers of the Canadian film documentary Morning in the Northwest.  Links to a variety of on-line resources that are very helpful to the Nor' Wester reenactor and student of fur-trade history.

The American Mountain Men (AMM) web contains many excellent resources for those who wish to explore the history of the Rocky Mountain fur-trade of the early nineteenth century.  Includes many primary resources such as business records, pictures of artifacts, and much more.  Highly recommended.

Eastern Frontier Resources:

The American Long Rifle Association is a reenacting organization that focuses on the period between 1750 and 1815.  ALRA members have earned a reputation for developing a very high degree of historical authenticity.  Be sure to check their "bibliography guidelines" for ideas to help develop a more believable and more authentic period persona.

Runaway Advertisements from 18th century classified advertisements in the Virginia Gazette offer a good description of clothing worn by "common" people of the day, in includes primary source data from 1736 through 1776.  Especially useful for those portraying frontiersmen of the southern Colonies

Eighteenth Century New England Life is an exceptionally useful site for those wishing to portray New England Colonists just prior to and during the American Revolution.  Provides a huge amount of information regarding costuming and accoutrements.  Highly recommended.

Classified Ads from the Boston Gazette Collection of advertisements appearing in the Boston Gazette during 1774 provides an excellent overview of the material culture of New England colonists.

Braintan.com is a great site to teach you to use your brains to tan hides.  Over 240 pages of articles, galleries and sources.

Colonial Occupations defines a variety of job-titles in common use during the 17th and 18th centuries in North America, some quite unusual.  A fun site to visit.

1828 Webster's Dictionary (on-line) is found on the Christiantech website, and is a great tool for researchers who need to determine how a word was defined in the late 18th or early 19th century, as opposed to it's modern definition.  It can be quite enlightening.

Native Tech is one of my favorite sites, as it offers excellent how-to articles on the crafts of American Natives, especially those of the Eastern Woodlands.  
 

Resources for the 18th Century Reenactor provides numerous links to websites that provide historical resources of interest and of use to living history enthusiasts.  Highly recommended.

Muzzleloader Shooting Lynx

MuzzleLoader magazine is THE leading publication in the field of traditional muzzleloaders and living history.   It's published by Scurlock Publishing Company, who also publish a wide range of books and references materials of interest to muzzleloader shooter and living history enthusiasts.  Their web includes a tremendous list of lynx.

The Alaska State Muzzle Loaders Association  site provides information about Alaska's Statewide association, which provides a variety of services to it's members, including a very effective political presence.  ASMLA conducts some of Alaska's most popular historical rendezvous.

Coon 'n' Crockett Muzzleloader Club is in Grand Forks, North Dakota.  Their web offers the GREATEST list of lynx I've seen.  Their website includes a great deal of information about muzzleloader shooting, including important safety rules and information.

MLML is home to the muzzleloader subscription list, and offers a web site with a wealth of information for the muzzleloader shooter, builder and hunter.  It's a great place for the beginner or the advanced muzzleloader shooter to learn more about our historically authentic firearms, and how to keep them working well.

Muzzleloader and Black Powder Safety Lynx

Coon 'n Crockett Muzzleloader Club muzzleloader safety page.  A good comprehensive list of safe practices.

CVA (Connecticut Valley Arms) muzzleloader safety issues page.

American Artillery Association National Safety Rules and Procedures for shooting muzzleloading cannons.

Historical and/or Traditional Alaska Lynx

The Midnight Sun Intertribal Powow is a contemporary celebration of Native American cultures that is well worth a visit.  

The Alaska Trapper's Association  is a great educational and political activist organization that provides some excellent resources for those interested in the fur trade and fur trapping in Alaska.  

Do you know of a web site that belongs in this "lynx" page?  Send us the URL so we can check it out.

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