Music, dancing, storytelling and artists’ demonstrations are a few of the attractions planned for the free 1830s Rendezvous & Spanish Colonial Art Market from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 28-29 on the grounds of The Fort restaurant in Morrison.
A production of the Tesoro Cultural Center, it draws collectors, historians and artists (and foodies, too).
Artists from the Southwest will demonstrate and sell artwork while historical interpreters like Donald L. Brehm of Littleton will be roaming the grounds with stories of life in the 1830s.
John Puthoff is a familiar bearded face at The Fort. He portrays the Mountain Man and educates people about the firearms civilians used to survive during this rugged era.
“If I were alive in the 1800s,” Puthoff said, “I’d have two horses — one to ride and one to pack — extra clothes and maybe sailcloth to use as a shelter. A trader also would have beaver traps,” he added.
He said the typical mountain man was independent and solitary, a characterization musician Rex Rideout shares, since his interest is the music of the 19th century, which he interprets in song and on the banjo and fiddle.
“Young men went off into the wilderness because they didn’t want to be farmers or apprentices. They could make money as a fur trader with the idea that they were going to make a lot of money, then come back and buy a plot of land and live like everyone else,” Puthoff said.
“That’s if they survived.”
Rideout and Brehm had fond memories of Sam Arnold, the original owner (now deceased) of The Fort, which opened 50 years ago in 1963.
“Sam’s dream was to use the facility as a teaching tool,” Brehm said.
Brehm said the dream is fulfilled by the nonprofit Tesoro Cultural Center, which coordinates shows for elementary school-age kids to give them an introduction to Colorado history.
The center also offers a historical lecture series.
The Fort is at 19192 Colorado 8. For more information, call 303-839-1671 or go to .
Karen Groves: 303-954-2303, kgroves@denverpost.com
