Saddle Up - Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

Photo courtesy  Sharon Keller Rollins, Red River Ranch

Listed as Tennessee's top twenty best tourist events, Pigeon Forge "Saddle-Up Buckaroo Round Up" rope's in huge crowds during the four day Cowboy celebration.  Old Glory flew proudly under the blue sky in the heart of the Tennessee Smoky Mountains. The chuckwagons rolled in from across the nation for the 12th annual "Saddle Up" that featured western music, cowboy poetry and some exquisite cowboy cooking.  Named after the Iron Forge invented by Isaac Love around 1820, the community rest along the Little Pigeon River so named after the once massive amounts of Passenger Pigeons that frequented the banks at the time of the first Euro-American settlers. 


Kent Rollins, of Red River Ranch perform acts of Cowboy poetry and also fired up his griddles for some sizzling steak dinners during  performances at Mama's Farmhouse Restaurant which featured Montana singer/songwriter Stephanie Davis. An additional show held at Partridge and Pear restaurant with a four course family dinner featured performances by newest member of the Western Music Association Hall of Fame, R.W. Hampton. Other performances during the four day event included the Saddle Cats, Cowboy Celtic, Ray Doyle, Andy Nelson, Chuck Pyle and youth performance by Cal Farley. 

The Pigeon Forge Hospitality Association sponsored the competing chuckwagon's selling lunch tickets for $10 raising money for local area charities during the Saturday event held at Clabough’s Campground. The chuckwagon cooks competed for the bragging rights as "Best wagon."  Awards are given for each food category; Meats, Beans, Potatoes, Bread, Corn bread and Desserts. Strict guidelines require cooks to prepare these meals just as they did over 130 years ago as the Cowboys moves cattle north to market and the chuckwagon was home on the range. 

Photo by Bart Saucier

Bart Saucier from Chapel Hill, Tennessee, wanted to witness first hand this authentic set up provided by each chuckwagon team.  Bart is also restoring his own personal Chuckwagon where this hands on experience, aloud for him to take note of the many particular details of each wagon while he watched the ole cowboy cooks work using their huge cast iron dutch ovens as they prepared the wholesome lunch.

Each chuckwagon is a traveling museum ranging in price averaging over $20,000 once fully outfitted.   Historical items include an array of cooking gear from late 19th century. Items like a mounted Parker Coffee grinder to heavy bone saws and meat cleavers decorate the side of chuck boxes. Giant 14 to 16 inch cast iron dutch ovens rest over coals as large coffee kettle and bean pots hang from the fire spit. The displays also includes a variety of cowboy personal gear, saddles, bedrolls, tent, farrier equipment, tools, hames and harness. Every item needed to complete a trail drive is carried on the wagon including extra wood stored underneath in a draped hide or canvas called the possum belly. Proud of their displays, each owner enjoys sharing the heritage as they answer questions about their wagon and the history of a majestic past.

Troy and Cindy Reddick

Skillet and Spurs is owned and operated by Troy and Cindy Reddick of Vidalia, Georgia. Troy started camp cooking using cast iron dutch ovens over 25 years ago during hunting, fishing and camping excursions during his college days at Georgia Southern University. Cindy is a professional home decorator and retail shop owner of  "Accessorize it". Four years ago, the couple added the chuckwagon to their professional catering business.  The Pigeon Forge Cook-Off was their first competition where their seasoned cooking experience paid off. "We are just now starting to meet other 'cookies. So far, its been an amazing experience and we can't wait to meet some of the folks out west," stated Troy.  For information about Chuckwagon catering in the Georgia area, check out their web site http://www.skilletandspurs.com/

Lexie Dean Ramblin'Rose

Ramblin’ Rose Chuck Wagon operated by Lexie Dean and his wife Kathy are season competitors from Greenville, North Carolina.  Dressed in his fashionable top hat with a feather, Lexie takes the rugged look of the camp cook on the cattle drive. His wagon, is a family heirloom first used as a farm wagon built by Fish Brothers Wagon Company of Racine, Wisconsin in 1868.  Fish brothers bought out Daniel Bull interest in the former Fish and Bull business, changing the name to FISH Brothers just two years before Lexies wagon was built. He added the additional items to convert the wagon into a functional chuckwagon.  While mesquite is the popular wood for Texas, Lexie uses hickory because it's easy to monitor and control temperature. Burning down a third cord of wood before even beginning his baking, Lexie ensures he has plenty of coals to cover the dozen "Dutch ovens" he'll use making the competitive meal able to provide 50 servings in each category.

The Buckaroo Roundup also included a mechanical bull to test your rodeo skills, lasso lessons and branding demonstrations.  Kent Rollins of the Red River Ranch, provided chuckwagon samplings during the four day event along with his storytelling. Kent, who has been filmed by the Food Network Television show "Throwdown with Bobby Flay, Chicken Fried Steak." was named the Official Chuck Wagon Cook of Oklahoma, by its Governor. He also has won the Lubbock, Texas Chuck Wagon Cook Off and the Will Rogers Award for Chuck Wagon of the Year by the Academy of Western Artists and not part of the competition of the event. Kent recently authored his cook-book titled, "On the Trail and In the Kitchen" available on line at his web site www.kentrollins.com.  His stories were the gilt-edge of the cattle drives keeping the audience well entertained. 

Other chuckwagon teams participating in the competitive event were Double X Ranch, Fairplay Cattle Company from Winston, Georgia and Grumpy's Grub.  The five teams rounded out samplings for the judges as they served up the savory Chicken friend steak, sawmill gravy, bread, potatoes, beans, cornbread,  and desserts.  
  

MEAT: 1^st Skillet and Spurs, 2^nd Grumpy's Grub, 3^rd Ramblin' Rose
BEANS: 1^st Grumpy's Grub, 2^nd Double X, 3^rd Ramblin' Rose
BREAD: 1^st Ramblin' Rose, 2^nd Grumpy's Grub, 3^rd Fairplay Cattle Co.
POTATOES: 1^st Ramblin' Rose, 2^nd Grumpy's Grub, 3^rd Fairplay
DESSERT: 1^st Ramblin' Rose, 2^nd Skillet & Spurs, 3^rd Grumpy's Grub
CORNBREAD: 1^st Ramblin' Rose, 2^nd Fairplay, 3^rd Double X
WAGON: 1^st Grumpy's Grub, 2^nd Ramblin' Rose, 3^rd Fairplay
OVERALL: 1^st Ramblin' Rose, 2^nd Grumpy's Grub

Photo courtesy Sister's on the Fly

New to the Saddle-Up event this year was a display of over 30 interesting camper trailers that are part of  the "Cowgirl Caravan." The group is a national women's organization called  Sister's on the Fly and travel through many areas of the United States with their array of travel trailers. Ranging in sizes from 12 to 24 feet long, many trailers are decorated in a Cowgirl theme.  Some campers are newer models but many reflect the nostalgic airstream  traveling of the 1950 styles.   

As the sun set over the chuckwagon camp fires, the attention was turn towards the stage for country music and a night of dancing the Dosey Doe, swing steps and line dancing. Sunday concluded the Saddle Up event with a hearty cowboy breakfast  followed by Cowboy Church services before the cowboys rode off into the sunset.    For more information about Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

                                       http://www.mypigeonforge.com/

For more information about other Chuck Wagon Competitions, check out the 

American Chuck Wagon Association 

Chuck Wagon photo courtesy Bart Saucier

Double X Ranch Chuck Wagon, Photo Courtesy Sharon Keller Rollins

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Special thank you to Bart Saucier, Sharon Keller Rollins, My Pigeon Forge, Troy and Cindy Reddick, Lexie Dean and those who volunteered or sponsor Saddle Up.  Additionally, the American Chuck Wagon Association which helps preserve the western heritage and the chuck wagon.     

Ornamental Blacksmithing

Story by Roger Edison

Richard Heinicke is a modern day Blacksmith creating an array of fine crafted iron works. His artistry forging metal hammered into fine crafted fabrications has been used for home, garden, camping and miscellaneous items which replicate the appearance of authentic antiques from the 1600's through the late 1800's.

Along with household consumers,   many of his items are used by cooking enthusiast working from a Chuck wagon or Dutch Oven Cooking Society members.  Additionally,  several of his pieces have been purchased by museums and used by various reenactment groups that honor particular events that forged the legacy of a historic past. Each item handmade, hand tooled and worked just as early blacksmiths operated hundreds of years ago.  

The art of blacksmithing was developed by the Hittites of Anatolia, modern day western Asia and Turkey. Copper and Bronze work was already known when the Hittites civilization discovered or developed the smelting of iron ores around 1500 BC. They had maintained a near monopoly on the knowledge of iron production for several hundred years, but when their empire collapsed during the Eastern Mediterranean upheavals around 1200 BC, the knowledge seems to have escaped in all directions.  As settlers migrated to the New World know as America, so followed the trade of blacksmith. 

Richard's  blacksmith shop is located in Westland, Michigan. He became interested in the art of smithing when visiting Green Field Village during the late 1970's where a friend preformed the work as a Blacksmith.  Richard worked as a welder with the C&O railroad in Grand Rapids, Michigan when he started the hobby, but after a work lay-off, took his craft to become his daily profession. 

Using a coal forge, Richard heats Pea Coal bellowing air into the fires to reach temperatures at 2000 degrees fahrenheit.  As coal burns, it is converted into a solid product called Coke resulting from the destructive distillation of coal consisting principally of carbon which he then uses to weld metals together.  Much of Richard's work is with 1018-1020 grade carbon steel.  Many items require riveting to join metals together adding brass or copper to compete some of his products. Steel items used for cooking are brushed to a pewter like finish, then treated rubbing a coat of vegetable oil over the item and then heated at a high temperature around 500 (f) degrees; A process called seasoning. Other metal items that are non cookware are painted using a flat black Rustoleum finish. 

Richard often researches photographs or drawings of original items in order to replicate his craft for period correctness.  Upon finishing each piece, Richard cold stamps his trade mark called a "touch mark" so items can be identified as replicas because they appear to look so close to original antique artifacts and heirlooms.

Tim Todish

Tim Todish is a reenactment enthusiast who volunteers during the Fort Michilimackinac Pageant, held over Memorial Day weekend each year.   Tim explains the history behind the reenactment, "The first fort on the Straits of Mackinac, Fort Du Buade, was constructed in about 1690. The fort became the main trade depot of the upper Great Lakes fur trade and functioned as both a military post and a civilian community. Michilimackinac remained a French outpost until 1761 when British soldiers took control after their victory in the French and Indian War (Seven Years War).  The Fort eventually seized by American colonial settlers during the Revolutionary war of 1776, and the first British attack on the new nation of the United States during the War of 1812.  The pageant is the longest running reenactment celebrating 50 years in May 2012 that will feature several match competitions with Musket rifles, tomahawk throwing and events which relive this historic past."  

Tim also stated. "Richard's blacksmith work is consistently made with the quality of excellence at extremely reasonable prices. While he offers an array of items, he has also custom made several items for me which I am more than pleased.  I have known Richard now for over 40 years and can say without hesitation, Richard is the best blacksmith I know."    

Richard also performs his blacksmith skills using a traveling forge at several shows through the year.  Demonstrating how to twist, work and cool the metals during the shows, Richard works his hand crack bellow as he forges items for the on looking audience.  The Feast of Hunters Moon,  Kalamazoo Living History,  Johnny Appleseed Fest, and Cascades Civil War Muster  are amongst the few shows he exhibits his trade of historic craft.  Forging items like custom branding irons, chandeliers, Civil war frying pans with left or right hand pouring spouts, door stops, cookware or hardware from pre Colonial era through the Victorian age, Richard's hand crafted works include his personal guarantee of satisfaction along with being American made in the USA.  

Richard Heinicke  RK Ornamental Blacksmithing

Coffee Pot Tipper

Trivet, Ladles,  Dutch Oven Lid Lifter

Heart Trivet often use placing hot pans and pots on also use inside Dutch Ovens when using pie pans for early styled baking. 

Pie Pan remove tools for Dutch Ovens

Reenactments Jaeger's Battalion Encampment at Ft. Michilimackinac

The Battalion Commander reviews the troops from the porch of the Commandant's Quarters.    Photo credits  Tim J. Todish, Jaeger's Battalion Encampment at Ft. Michilimackinac

1600's period fireplace hearth Trivet with Handle

"Under a spreading chestnut tree
The village smithy stands;
The smith, a mighty man is he,
With large and sinewy hands;
And the muscles of his brawny arms
Are strong as iron bands."  -   Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Early Cookware that Titillated mans appetite

If you never do much cooking, likely you never gave much thought to the cookware we use preparing meals. Modern technology has made most meals so easy to prep, cook and serve at the dinner table. It takes longer to shop for the groceries. Plus the fact of fast food chains, one rarely is without so many choices of what and where to eat be it breakfast, lunch or dinner.

I’m also very fortunate being married to a woman who takes pride in the culinary art of gourmet cooking which spoils my palate. Plus the fact that my mother in law also lives with us who too takes pride in her cooking. Perhaps the only thing she cooked different than my personal expectation is Chili. I’m from Texas, she is from Indiana. True Chili does not have macaroni mixed in with it. Plus, I’m the cook when it comes to the out door grilling. Just as long as I keep my hands off the wife’s collection of Rachel Ray cookware, she’s happy. Therefore, I too never really gave much thought about cookware either. Not until one day speaking with an associate about Chuck wagon cooking and period correct cookware. He stated “Chuck wagons did not use enamelware coffee pots” as he continue to point out that they did not become available until the turn of the 20th century. I knew this to be incorrect but not being a subject matter expert on early cookware, I decided to research the development of enamelware and facts of early cookware. While I merely desired to know one general era of period cookware, I found myself intrigued on the over-all history as man’s movement from a primitive state to modern civilization and how to titillate his appetite that develop the tools we have come to use. Though the lack of archaeological evidence makes understanding tools used prior to pottery difficult, though it can some what be understood through the developmental study of civilized cultural.

Way of the Chuckwagon

There is a majestic beauty viewing over the massive grazing lands that run from Texas north through the Dakotas reaching into Canada. These plains expanded westward into Colorado meeting the rocky mountains and northwest to the Cascade Mountain Range. Scenic hills covered in tall Buffalo grass that whispers its historic past as one might sit silent reflecting upon the romantic images of the American West. As the wind blows through the wild blades of green stems that still flourish today, the sounds of the cowboys yawp can nearly be heard as they command their livestock on the long cattle-drives. Today, no other item best reflects the images of those cowboys who worked the cattle drives than the “Chuck Wagon”.