Cathleen Allison/Nevada Appeal
The Old West comes to life this weekend in Mills Park as mountain men and women wearing buckskin and calico set up their camps and sell their wares.
The mountain man encampment is always a favorite attraction during the Carson City Rendezvous, and Terry Gaso, whose camp name is "Lame Pony" and who helps bring authenticity to the event.
"We come here every chance we get. We love it here," said Gaso, of Sonoma County, Calif.
Gaso said she travels 14,000 miles a year throughout the West for events such as the rendezvous.
Gaso sets out tea cups and saucers on a table in front of her tent as she explains that she sleeps on a cot in her tent.
In what is known as "camp dogging," she will take whatever she has on hand in the evenings, such as dry goods or potatoes, and make her way through the encampment to trade for a meal.
"You go to trade," she said. "Back in those days, if you came up to a campfire, you'd usually bring wood. They'd say, come on in and have a bite. This is authentic to the period. You bring your own plate, either tin or wood, and a tin cup or a 'mooching mug,' which is much smaller and needs lots of refills."
Gaso explained that there could also be "tea socials" where traders gather to drink tea and learn new skills from each other such as basketmaking or beading.
She said she loves the Carson City Rendezvous because it's a family experience where kids can come and learn about history.
Jim Taylor of San Diego, whose camp name is "Turtle," said there are three or four rendezvous held every weekend somewhere in the United States.
He has been participating in rendezvous, festivals and mountain man encampments for more than 30 years. What he likes best is the camaraderie.
"You can meet somebody who is poor, and he can be talking to a brain surgeon, and no one ever knows what the other does," Taylor said.
"This was originally a very hard life - what is fun about it is the people," he said.
During the years of 1825-1840, Taylor said, 99.9 percent of the mountain men didn't last the first winter.
Taylor said he will be heading to Idaho next week for another rendezvous.
"Flatlanders are not allowed there," he said. "They're more primitive, and they have 'dog soldiers' who go around and make sure every single thing is authentic."
The rendezvous starts at 10 a.m. today and runs until 9 p.m. In addition to the mountain man tents, the day includes craft booths, entertainment, Civil War re-enactments, a naturalization ceremony, a food court and Native American dancing.