HOISINGTON — Life from a couple of hundred years ago came alive this weekend when the Post Rock Muzzle Loaders Club from the Otis-Bison area demonstrated what clothes and living conditions existed at that time at the Fun Days event in Hoisington on Saturday.
Complete with hand sewn garments and antler buttons, Muzzle Loaders demonstrated black powder rifles, fires started from flint and steel, and hard wooden chairs.
“Besides being fun, it’s a challenge,” said Don Johnson, from Otis-Bison and a member of the club. “It’s living history.”
He enjoys the camaraderie, too. “You can go to a rendezvous, put a $100 bill in front of your tent and leave. It will still be there six hours later. That’s how trustworthy these guys are. We all want to do the same thing.
“It’s a bunch of good guys,” Johnson said.
The club sleeps on the ground in canvas tents, cooks over an open fire and ate prairie dog on Friday night. They have eaten coyote in the past.
The Muzzle Loaders Club meets once a month and attends three Rendezvous a year, in the spring, fall and winter.
They make a lot of their own items, but Johnson said black powder can be hard to find.
Anyone interested in joining the group can contact them at P.O Box 22, Otis, KS 67565.
The weekend also included children’s games, street vendors, a beer garden and a dance with Turnback Creek the Band, playing.