Annual Ft. Bridger Mountain Man Rondezvous

(This is a really long post, so if you aren't interested in it, just scroll down. There's more good stuff below it. :))
With September, came our annual campout at the Ft. Bridger Mountain Man Rondezvous in Ft. Bridger, Wyoming. The Rondezvous has been a McKeachnie family tradition for years, and before I became a McKeachnie, I had never heard of it and had no idea what to expect. Assuming many of you are the same way, I have taken a bazillion pictures to along with my descriptions to try to give you an idea (which makes for a really long post - beware).

Every Labor Day weekend, approximately 40,000 people congregate in tiny Ft. Bridger, Wyoming to relive for a few days the good old days when Fort Bridger was a bustling hub of commerce. We live about 2 hours away, so each year, we pack up the car and meet all my in-laws there.

Inside the actual fort, there are 'booths' (made of authentic time-period materials) selling wares that would have been found in the 'good-ole days', such as pioneer clothing, buckskins, leather, pottery, jewelry, children's toys, furs, knives, guns, etc.

Admission to the fort is free to all those who dress in authentic time-period clothing (which I have learned means anthing pre-1900-ish, including pioneer clothing, Indian attire, pirate costume, loin cloths, Revolutionary War era, pilgrim-wear, midieval tunics or armor, etc), and only a few dollars for those who choose not to dress up.

Who is that hot pioneer chick? (Hint - it's me):

My equally hot Mountain Man - Scotsman, wearing his family dress kilt:

Little Mountain Boy Tayson:

Little Mountain Cutie Brennen:

My father-in-law:

My mother-in-law, holding baby Benji:

My sister-in-law, Josie, holding baby Benji:

My brother-in-law, Reuben, decided not to dress up this year:

Inside the fort each day, there are a variety of events, including children's games, bagpipe concerts, Indian chants and dances, candy cannons, cannon shoots, etc.

Children's sack race:

My sister-in-law, DaNeill helping little Eli with the tug-of-war:

My youngest sister-in-law, Katie (blue skirt), giving her all in the tug-of-war:

My mother-in-law, waiting behind Tayson for the children's prize drawings:

My favorite activity was to just find a sunny patch of grass and people-watch, enjoying the great variety of costumes and characters I saw. Here's a good sample of random strangers to see what you could expect:

Just outside the fort is a massive field, entitle Tin TeePee, where thousands upon thousands of Rondezvous visitors set up RV's, tents, and teepees to dwell in for the weekend. Here is a view from our campsite:

While in Tin TeePee, you are free to dress casually, relax, and hang out.

The most unique experience of all, though, is the LDS Sacrament service on Sunday morning inside the fort. On Sunday morning each year, at 8 am, about 2500 people gather in their Mountain Man attire at the Mormon Wall inside the fort. There's not much left to the wall now, but it was built in the mid 1800's by the Mormons as a defense structure. We all bring our own camp chairs and/or blankets to sit on and gather in the field surrounding the wall. The local wards provide the Sacrament materials, 20+ priesthood brethren to bless and pass it, and a free-standing microphone. We then sing songs (usually including 'Come, Come Ye Saints'), partake of the Sacrament, and have a testimony meeting. There are usually some touching, profound testimonies, mixed in with the annual "I know the Rondezvous is true..." type that we have come to expect.

I know that you are supposed to dress in your 'Sunday Best' for church, but for the Rondezvous service, I tend to forget that policy. Not only is it early (8 am), but it is freaking cold in the mornings there! So, usually, I just pull on a long skirt over my pajamas, tug on a costumish sweater or jacket and something to cover my bedhead, and off I go. This was my church apparel this year:

I know, I know. I'm particularly sexy in the morning when camping. My sisters-in-law, Josie and Sheena, somehow manage to look much better for church:

And little Chloe is just the picture of pioneer cuteness:

Here we are, heading off to go to church, with our camp chairs loaded on top:

Well, I would say that you all for sure would want to go to the Rondezvous next year now, but after reading this entire post, you probably feel like you've already been. :)