History comes to life at Fort Connah Rendezvous

ST. IGNATIUS — Though it sits within plain view of one of the busiest roads in the state, for many residents of western Montana, historic Fort Connah remains a well-kept secret. However, events such as last weekend’s twice-annual rendezvous are helping the old fur trading post shed its under-the-radar reputation, one enthusiastic visitor at a time.

Blue skies provided a magnificent backdrop for the spirited gathering of history buffs who turned out to learn more about what is believed to be the oldest intact structure in Montana. Despite resting on freshly-acquired American soil, the outpost was established in  1846 by fur traders from the British Hudson’s Bay Company, which wielded almost total commercial control of North America’s untamed wild at the time.

In the present day, passing along the story of Fort Connah has nobly been spearheaded by the dedicated fraternity of reenactors whose passion for sharing their knowledge of history makes the rendezvous a true spectacle.

“It’s the chance to interact,” said Missoula-based historian Will Abbot, identifying what makes the event special for attendees.

“It’s not passive. It’s engaging in a way that watching something on the History Channel is not,” said Abbot.

“This is kind of just a show-and-tell,” agreed Ted Hoglund. Bedecked in historically accurate attire, Hoglund looked right at home amidst the site’s aging cabins, coaching curious visitors such as Bruce Hunn and Nancy Mehaffie on the proper use of a sextant – a tool that uses the position of celestial objects to aid navigation.

“These things take a lot of practice,” Hoglund warned as Hunn squinted uncertainly toward the summits of the Mission Mountains.

Though Hunn could soon attest to the difficulty of gleaning useful readings from the device, Hoglund says that sextants helped famous explorers of early Montana like David Thompson and Lewis and Clark produce stunningly accurate maps.

“They were great navigating tools if you knew how to use them. Thompson would stay up all night playing with the formulas,” Hoglund said.

Abbot and Hoglund weren’t the only historical impersonators who were in their element over the weekend, as a throng of reenactors from the Mission Valley and beyond converged to play their part in recreating a snapshot of life at the old fort.

Sitting amongst his display of “items that fur traders would have used” Kim Koenig of Ronan says that the event reflects the strong sense of camaraderie between reenactors.

“We’re history nuts,” Koenig explained. “We’re always learning.”

Mike Tomell of Frenchtown has played an active role in the rendezvous since the tradition began in 2008. A member of the Fort Connah Restoration Society, Tomell marvels at the fact that a vestige of British colonial North America was able to linger behind American borders for so long.

“The fact that the Hudson Bay Company had a trading post below the border this late into the 19th century is amazing,” said Tomell.

“It gives you an idea about how quiet this part of the country was [at the time].”