How did they strike a fire?

[mary]

After the recent "immersion" event at Apple River Fort this Spring, my friends related the numerous experiences they enjoyed (and sometimes endured) as "ladies of the frontier."

One of the more interesting activities was striking a fire-- somthing I am given to understand was a common task in the 1820s - 1830s. It was, however, made more difficult by the absence of sulfur matches, the use of which appears to post-date our time period.

One of my favorite authors, Juliette Kinzie, offered some insight into striking a fire--

It was rather a difficult matter to light a fire, but among the underbrush, in a wild, undisturbed spot, there will always be found some fragments of dried branches, and tufts of grass which the rain has not reached, and by the assistance of the spunk, or light-wood, with which travellers always go well provided, a comforting fire was at length blazing brightly.

"Spunk or lightwood?" What was that?

Perhaps it was the material mentioned by David Thompson in his Narrative, 1784 - 1812, p. 199:

"A Canadian never neglects to have touchwood for his pipe."

[mary]

On a botanical website, I noted the following:

B. chirurgorum (SURGEON'S AGARIC, OAK AGARIC, PUNK, TOUCHWOOD) is the product of P. fomentarius, which is found upon the oak and beech trees of Europe and is a very different substance, its uses being mechanical, as tinder, and to staunch bleeding.

It is shaped somewhat like the horse's foot, with a diameter of from 6 to 10 inches. It is soft like velvet when young, but afterwards becomes hard and ligneous. It usually rests immediately upon the bark of the tree, without any supporting foot-stalk. On the upper surface, it is smooth, but marked with circular ridges of different colours, more or less brown or blackish. On the under surface, it is whitish or yellowish and full of small pores; internally, it is fibrous, tough and of a tawny brown colour. It is composed of short, tubular fibres, compactly arranged in layers, one of which is added every year.

It is collected in Central and Southern Europe, in August and September, chiefly from oak and beech, the best being from oak and prepared for use by removing the exterior rind and cutting the inner part into thin slices, which are washed first in weak alkali, then in water and then beaten with a hammer and worked until they become soft, pliable and easily torn by the fingers. In this state, it was formerly much used by surgeons for arresting haemorrhage, being applied with pressure. When it is steeped in a solution of nitre and afterwards dried, it constitutes 'Spunk,' 'punk' or tinder, the Amadou of the French, which occurs in flat pieces, of a consistence somewhat like that of very soft, rotten buckskin leather, of a brownishyellow colour, capable of absorbing liquids and inflammable by the slightest spark.

See www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/f/fungi-37.html

"Steeped in a solution of nitre?" My goodness!

Maybe Juliette Kinzie was referring to a local-found (American) fungus, rather than a European derivative.

[Robert Braun]

Good topic.

I have always been skeptical of the use of so-called "char cloth"-- not because of its practical effectiveness, but because of the lack of mention of this material in the accounts and literature.

In truth, just about any material that one can "char" can be used for fire striking. Some just work better than others.

Bartlett defines "punk" as Rotten wood; touchwood; spunk. A word in common use in New England, as well as in the other Northern States and Canada. Ash defines it "a kind of fungus, often used for tinder."--Pickering.

For true tinder fungus, I think you want a bracket fungus called Innonotus obliquus . My readings indicate I. obliquus grows on white and yellow birches, as well as other hardwoods. This I think closes the gap as to how Juliette Kinzie's boatmen had/found the material she described.

[mary]

Mrs. Kinzie wrote, p. 107,

We alighted at an open space, just within the verge of the wood, or, as it is called by Western travellers, "the timber." My husband recommended to me to walk about until a fire should be made, which was soon accomplished by our active and experienced woodsmen, to whom the felling of a large tree was the work of a very few minutes. The dry grass around furnished an excellent tinder, which, ignited by the sparks from the flint (there were no loco-focos in those days), and aided by the broken branches and bits of light-wood, soon produced a cheering flame.

My husband indicted that "loco-focos" were an early form of match. I am given to understand that "loco-foco" was also, apparently, the name by which the Democratic Party went by in the period after the Black Hawk War!

[Robert Braun]

A patent for a friction match known as the "Loco-foco" was awarded in 1836 to Alonzo D. Phillips. However, friction matches in various forms were known and used in Eastern America at least as early as 1834.

The more familiar red phosphorous friction "safety" matches came about in the mid-1850's. Book matches are an American invention, dating from around 1889.

Bob.

[mary]

My husband showed me sketches he made of two fragments of two different fire steels on display at the Frontier Archaeological Museum:

• An oval fire steel, or a complete "0" similar to steels prevalent in the Great Lakes Fur Trade;
  
  
• A large "C" steel with a small decorative reverse loop, probably large enough to admit three fingers.
  

Both styles are usually associated with an earlier era. It is interesting that they appear in archaeology of early Illinois settlements.

[Robert Braun]

Now came the feat of making a fire in a dark night. I put my hat on the ground, with the top up, putting some cotton on the hat and sprinkling some powder on the cotton; then took my knife and flint and tried to make fire. Not succeeding very well, I poured a little more powder on the cotton; it being very dark and cold, and feeling a little uncertain about my success in making a fire, and knowing the great importance of having a fire in camping in winter, I repeated the operation two or three times. At last, getting very anxious, I got my face down very near the hat and with my knife and flint succeeded in igniting the powder. I thought at first my eyes were nearly put out, but it being very necessary to save my fire, I succeeded in doing so.


(Source: Recollections of Judge John W. Spencer (he reportedly came to the Rock Island country in 1826) as published in Harry E. Downer HISTORY OF DAVENPORT AND SCOTT COUNTY, IOWA. Volume II, Index. Chicago: The S.J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1910. CHAPTER XV, LIFE ON THE FRONTIER.)

[Robert Braun]

In an interesting test of fire-making, Steve Merkel and I managed to rekindle a fire at the Fort Atkinson 2004 event-- in a firepit filled with water from the previous night's SIX waves of thunderstorms.

Laying down a base of logs, plus other wood criss-crossed on that. Struck numerous sparks with punk before the heavy humidity would allow us to keep a blaze going. We were persistant and kept at it with the help of a trekker who kindly offered cedar shavings, birch bark and friendly advice.

In the end, we had "fire" and were able to cook up a pretty good supper of stewed chicken and boiled potatoes.

The heat from the fire managed to drive off most of the water... until the storms renewed with a vengeance at twighlight. A real gully-washer poured down on us... and after a valiant fight our fire gave up the ghost at around 8 p.m.

Lessons learned. I now pack extra birch bark in my saddle bags.

Bob.

[Larry Koschkee]

Saddle bags... interested in style and era that you have there.

Best regards,

Larry Koschkee

Well Larry... that's a long story. Since people travelled by horseback, and militia componants were mostly mounted, and with mentions of saddle bags in some of the accounts and recollections, I wanted to invest in a pair. The "boss lady" wasn't too keen on the idea, (particularly in the absence of an equine) but I managed to whine enough to get her to relent.

I wanted a early pattern, but had little to go on. I knew I didn't want a Rev War style ('cause it looks... well.. too Rev War) and I didn;t want CivilWar stuff for the same reason. I wanted to alos stay away from even later three-strap closure bags, but was frankly limited to what the market produced. The saddle bags in the WHS Museum that purportedly were used to run the mail between Fort Dearborn and Fort Howard were too large for conventional saddle bags (or so I was told.) So I was in a quandry.

I eventually settled on a pair of "Y" strap saddlebags in russet leather from a maker in Kansas. While not 100% perfect, they are reflective of civilian saddle bags of the period without looking to "cowboy"ish.

An additional quandry presented itself when the bags arrived with a deep leather maker's stamp--which included the home state: "KANSAS." Oh... that'll look believable for an 1830's impression! What to do? I couldn't pound it out. I couldn't stain over it, and I certainly couldn't cut it out.

The only thing I could think of was to cover it somehow, which I did. I settled on a piece of trade silver sewn to the leather, and backed with a piece of scarlet wool. Since the stap was off-center on the leather piece that connected the two bags, I sewed on a second piece of trade silver to balance it out. The effect is actually quite pleasing!

And boy, do I love those bags! They hold a lot of stuff for their size... even a small horse brush I put in there ('cuz we're supposed to be horsemen, ya know!)

Now... if I only had a Spanish hybrid saddle. Oh... and a horse to put it on!!

Har... Bob.

[Chris]

I don't need a dictionary for this one. Punk wood, or punky wood, is half-rotted wood that is very soft, easy to shred. At least when I was growing up, that is what we called it. It is nice for kids to carve, because it doesn't require very sharp or sophisticated tools. I am not sure, but this may be related to the term "dry rot". It definitely flames up quickly.

Punk would also be a term for any substance used to start a fire--- as in low-quality incense sold by fireworks vendors. That would also relate to the dried fungus you were talking about.


Also related to the word "punk", as a quick-to-anger person in late teens and early twenties. A riot-starter type of personality.

[Robert Braun]

Chris said:

I don't need a dictionary for this one. Punk wood, or punky wood, is half-rotted wood that is very soft, easy to shred. At least when I was growing up, that is what we called it. It is nice for kids to carve, because it doesn't require very sharp or sophisticated tools. I am not sure, but this may be related to the term "dry rot". It definitely flames up quickly.

Punk would also be a term for any substance used to start a fire--- as in low-quality incense sold by fireworks vendors. That would also relate to the dried fungus you were talking about.


Also related to the word "punk", as a quick-to-anger person in late teens and early twenties. A riot-starter type of personality.

Indeed. The definition earlier in this thread refers to a material known as "tinder fungus." It holds up better than rotten wood, glows intesly when struck with a spark, and can be reused if wet, by thorough drying. While today we generaly define "punk" as rotting wood, the term seems to have been somewhat ubiquitous historically.

Bob.

[Larry Koschkee]

Sorry for lingering off subject here ladies and gentleman, but saddlebags were important horse gear and some cases carried all the possesions an individual owned in the world except for the clothes on their back.

I am interested in the size or dimensions of the bags, Bob, was it a size large enough to carry a portmanteau?

For comparision I own two cavalry style saddlebags. One smaller from the Civil War era and the larger from the post Civil War era (Plains Indian Wars).

The latter, 1874 Model, has two pouches of "Fair" leather (tanned but undyed leather - natural brown color). The flaps are heavy collar "Fair" leather.

Pouches are 10 by 12 inches, gussets, 3 inches wide at the bottom and 2.5 inches at the top. The near side pouch has a 7 by 5 inches pocket (with a flap) sewn on its outside for horseshoes and horseshoe nails The offside pouch has a 8.5 by 5.5 inches pocket sewn to its outside (no flap) for horse-brush and curry-comb.

The flaps for each pouch are 16 by 11 3/4 inches and has two billets per pouch, brass buckles secured by chapes, sewed to the under side of the gussetts.

The seat of the bags is 18 1/4 inches long in front and 16 1/4 inches long in the rear with a "boomarang" shape cut out to fit over the cantle.

Trade silver on the outside.. eh, Bob. How much silver jingling on the inside?

Hope your wish comes true, a "charo" saddle and a trusty steed.

Larry K.

[Robert Braun]

Larry--- the bags I have are about 10 in. across the base and about 8 in. across the opening, with 2 inch gussets. Nice shield-shaped flap with a single "Y" strap billet closure. The bags are done in a nice med.-dark brown leather, thick enough to be very servicable, but pliable enough to work well. The flaps are in nice undyed leather that darkened slightly to a nice mellow color when I applied some leather dressing. The bags connect with (what I consider) a rather narrow seat. There are two short straps attached near the bags, presumably to use to buckle to my future Spanish hybrid saddle. Har.

The bags don't look very large at first glance, but they hold a lot of materials! I got my writing folio, a tin document container, folding telescope, spare socks, flint and steel case and a horse brush in the offside pouch; and all my eating items, pipe and tobacco, cups and extra birchbark in the nearside pouch-- and there's room for more.

The maker's stap was located on the seat, off-center... which is where I put the trade silver coverings-- the only thing I could think of.

After two events with them... I don't know how I got along without them! They keep EVERYTHING just so dang handy-- horsey or no horsey! ;D

And nope... no silver in those bags, but always two Spanish milled dollars in my britches pocket! And an old coin trade token -- a reminder of my time in Missouri after "Mr. Madison's War."

Warm regards, Bob

[Larry Koschkee]

Bob,

Thanks for the additional information... it is very interesting to learn of others who have a fondness for leather saddle bags besides Harley riders.

You mentioned applying leather dressing to the saddle bags and I wanted to comment on Pecard Leather Dressing. I use this product on all my antique and non-antique leather goods with great results. Neats Foot Oil is applied to my daughter's softball gloves only... never on any other leather goods.

Best regards,

Larry K.

[Robert Braun]

Larry said:

Bob,

Thanks for the additional information... it is very interesting to learn of others who have a fondness for leather saddle bags besides Harley riders.

You mentioned applying leather dressing to the saddle bags and I wanted to comment on Pecard Leather Dressing. I use this product on all my antique and non-antique leather goods with great results. Neats Foot Oil is applied to my daughter's softball gloves only... never on any other leather goods.

Best regards,

Larry K.

I long ago used up my modest supply of Pecards. It IS great stuff! I use a product made up by Blue Heron touted as a leather dressing... no odor and it does a very nice job of providing protection and flexibility.

I've not used NFO for years. I uses to use it on everything, but found out (just as you recommend) that its uses are best limited to ball gloves and such.

Not ready to 'bag' it just yet ;D--- Bob.