The Traders

The Rendezvous was an annual meeting held at various locations by a fur trading company where trappers and miners sold their furs and hides and replenished their supplies. Every spring/summer, the major fur companies assemble Teamster-powered mule trains that pack whiskey and supplies to a pre-announced location and hold a trade fair - the Rendezvous.
These rendezvous were known as lively, happy places where all were welcome, fur trappers, Indians, local trapper women and children, travelers and later even tourists who made their way from all over Europe to watch the festivities. They were described as events "full of myths, songs, dancing, shouting, bartering, running, singing, running, target shooting, yarning, jokes, with all sorts of extravagances that white men or Indians could invent!"
This Mountain Men Rendezvous scene was inspired by the 1974 John Clymer painting “ALOUETTE.” John Clymer's work is known for its historical accuracy in capturing the world and experiences of frontiersmen, fur traders, prospectors, and pioneers of the American West.