The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-01-13

ssIt seems to me, said Mr.. Roose.
welt, in giving his views on the pro.
posed exhibition, sthat of all the his
torical American types the frontier
hunter is the most characteristic figure
in the country's history. Up to the war
of 1912 he lived in the big forests Of the
Allegheny Mountains and in the valleys
of the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers. Then
as we began to push westward to the
great plains the typical frontiersmsn be.
came a ranchman or a mountaineer. He
was a trapper or hunter in the Rocky
Mountains or perhaps drove the old time
white stopped prairie ~"schooners" ovel
the old Santa Fe trail. He hads quantity
of faults, but an equal number of stern
and stalwart virtues, and altogether he
was a man for the nation to be proud OF.
Nowadays the whole country is so set
Ting up that the professional hunters and
trappers have almost vanished. The last
buffalo hunters came to an end in 1858,
when the last great herd was destroyed.
The hunters and trappers are now only
to be found in out of the way hooks and
corners Of the Rockies.
-four idea is to have first Of all the
characteristic building in which the
frcntiersmen lived. We must have the
typical log cabins of the frontiersmen
and also the big wigwams made of bark
and skins. Then alongside the hunters
tent a genuine old prairie schooner or
canvas topped wagon which was used
by so manv thousands Of settlers, wan
dering cattle men and Santa Fe traders.
Horses and mules should be picketed
near by. Everything should conduce to
the realism of the picture Of that life
wherein was developed some of the best
and highest courage of our country.
IF the authorities of the Worlds
Fair will allow, and I have no doubt
they will, I'll import from my ranch in
tue Rockies cowbows to take charge OF
the exhibition and show the whole thing
TO the Fair visitors. Then we shall have
all kinds of horses and packing gear in
use on Western ranches and IN the
mountains. Also a fsherman's camp
with all sorts of frontiersmen's dugout
canoes, etc. The typical costumes g
! frontiersmen will be represented and his
weapons and hunting rifles. l kno"
where we can get Daniel Boone's hunting
rife and another that belonged to DaVy
Crockett, both weapons characteristic OF
the days when the long barrel hint-locK
small bore heavy rife was the prlnclpa
weapon of the backwoods men OF tn
West. 1 have a rifle of Kit Carson tina
would bring us down to the middle Of
the century. We will have the rifles
that have been in actual use on the
plains for the last thirty years-thes
heavy, long.range Sharps that DESTROYER
the great pu1alo nerds, ana the WIN
chesters, Remingtons and others, when
will complete the chain that will sno"
the development of the hunters weapon,
"But the largest exhibition of all will
be that of American game. We vii
have frst-class specimens, magnihcentiy
mounted, of all the species native IN thi'
country and plenty of them. We vii
have one individual of every kind o
game, and a great collection OF the finest
heads and robes. We will get together
the finest collection of hunting trophies
ever seen. I know we can do it.
sit has been my good fortune to shoot