Forthcoming Event: Homesteading Symposium
Rendezvous at The Wagon Box this Feb 27-28. (Soon!)
We are knee deep in a new year already, and it’s a bit “last minute,” but our Substack is coming back to life, starting with this invitation. You should consider attending. There’s a tradition in the mountain man and trapping world of a spring “Rendezvous.” Folks who had been up in boreal cabins and camps blazed their way to a gathering where they would sell furs, swap stories, and generally celebrate surviving the winter.
I like to imagine these events weren’t exactly on the trappers’ calendar all year, but something that came together a bit organically, filtering for who could find it and who was “meant to be there.” It seems like Wagon Box events are often like that. It’s always a wonder to me that folks make it to events, but they always do, and each one always feels like the best one ever.
To be honest, Wyoming hasn’t had all that much of a winter this year. Maybe it’s part of the polar shift that at last year’s event Peter Allen told us may be under way. To make up for that I took two young guys up north of Fairbanks as part of the Gumption Academy project, where we had our fill of brumal trials, particularly when suddenly stranded on a remote road one night. There’s just something about biting cold wind, swirling snow in the darkness, drifting it up quickly as the temperature falls, that sharpens the mind. It stirs up a sense of greatness— so many are in bed or staring at screens but you are out facing the dark, the cold: facing death. It also reminds one of of how vulnerable and stupid he is and how dangerous it is to be alone. We survived, and both of those guys and their families will be at the event.
If the weather is too nice and one fears missing out on a physical challenge, there is always the morning cold plunge. It’s not mandatory, but all the men participate.
What is a “Homesteader” anyway? It’s hard to put a clear definition on it. Is someone with a few yard chickens homesteading? Or do you have to be raising all your food and off-grid? I think it’s more of a mindset, that of a Pilgrim or Pioneer. It involves a hardiness, a willingness to face adversity, and an underlying mission, and a desire to pass on the traditions to future generations.
With the intentional separation from the mainstream, or The Machine as some call it, many folks who see themselves as Homesteaders find themselves detached, isolated. These events are an opportunity to connect with others on a similar track. At this event we will also be discussing ways to be more connected, to forge a distributed community, to cultivate a common culture.
Many homesteaders look to the past longingly, and for good reason, as they see the fabric of rural society in shreds, food systems corrupted, attention spans distracted and basic skills less and less prevalent. But the past can only offer clues to a new and different future, and at these events we always look ahead, with hope. Despite its menace, digital communication technologies are amazing tools, at least for now, especially for connecting. (You’re reading this, for instance!) There are likely interesting times ahead, and we discuss how one might face them, from preparing for an EMP, to building out networks of friends and allies, to the spectre of AI and the surveillance state.
The American identity was forged by homesteading pilgrims and pioneers who carved a civilization out of a hostile environment. As the Government has transitioned to an empire, with whole segments of its population insulated from or alien to this identity, it behooves us to connect and cultivate a common culture. In doing so, we replace paths of resentment and frustration with energetic excitement. The Homesteader Republic is forming. Join us.
(If you’re not sure about housing or whatever, just reach out. We’ll make it work.)
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I would love to attend!