September 23, 2009
Former residents reach deep into the earth to uncover secrets from a bygone era.
LEFT: These colorful beads were all discovered at the site of the 1832 Rendezvous near Driggs. Most of the beads can be traced back to the Hudson Company. COURTESY PHOTOThough Teton Valley has a rich history of agriculture over the last 100 years with homesteaders establishing farms and ranchers throughout the region, one of the most dramatic historical events occurred 177 years ago.
During the Rendezvous of 1832, mountain men and Indians came together with trappers and traders to sell furs and swap for supplies. Major fur trading companies arrived at the Rendezvous with knives, beads, and plenty of whiskey to trade with the trappers.
Famous names like Jedediah Smith, Jim Bridger, William and Milton Sublette, Thomas Fitzpatrick, Joe Meek, and Dave Jackson attended the Rendezvous in 1832 that spread throughout the area where Teton Creek still runs near the City of Driggs. By Bridger’s account, the 1832 Rendezvous was the biggest haul of the fur trade in the Northwest and one of the most picturesque. No less than 1,000 men attended the Rendezvous, according to an account from Meek, with thousands of horses, 120 lodges of Nez Perce Indians, 80 lodges of Flathead Indians, and several hundred trappers and traders.
Though diary accounts of the 1832 Rendezvous are certainly helpful when trying to piece together the historical event, the most concrete proof of the 17th Century trade show has come from the last seven years of archeological work accomplished by two former Teton Valley residents.
Jim and Debbie Wood have been studying the 1832 Rendezvous for nearly 20 years, but it wasn’t until around the turn of this century that the husband and wife team began combing sites in and around Teton Creek for artifacts from the Rendezvous. Over the years, the Wood’s collection of treasures from the past has grown to include hundreds of beads that were manufactured in Bohemia, hatchet heads, trade knives, pipes, bells, crosses, and other ornamentation that was left behind.
The Woods have exhibited some of their artifacts at Huntsman Springs three years ago, but they more recently had a show at the Fort Hall Replica Museum near Pocatello on July 18 this summer. The Woods will display their collection again next summer at Fort Hall for the museum’s season opener the second week of April and again in July.
While most of the Woods’ collection came from the Rendezvous site, the two received permission to begin excavation of the Battle of Pierre’s Hole that occurred in the Darby Creek area of the valley. Look for the story of this historic battle in next week’s Valley Citizen.
