History Comes Alive In Downtown New Haven

Miller’s Landing Day is an annual celebration of New Haven’s history and of the ways the small town is evolving in a way which respects that history. From the classic car show to Astral Glass’s fascinating demonstrations of blown glass art to the scattered photographs of days gone by in shop windows, it seemed as if there wasn’t a place to look that didn’t drip with history.

Nowhere was this more evident than in the Visitor’s Center - the original firehouse turned museum - and the Lewis & Clark Reenactment camp down by the river. There, several people were making history come alive in their own ways. One woman charmed listeners with a musical history lesson, playing tunes on a classic hammered dulcimer. Another cooked chicken over a small campfire, laden with coffee pots and cooking pans. There was a friendly Newfoundland that may not be tasked with hunting and protecting as he would’ve been 200 years ago, but he still carries the height and the friendliness which would’ve made these dogs excellent companions then and now.

There was also a tent for fur trappers, the handy guide letting visitors know about trapping techniques and why beaver trading was so fruitful. Their pelts, being waterproof, were valued for their use in making rainproof hats for outdoorsmen. Their meat, as it turns out, was too tough in those days and would often and easily be ruined by oils from the castor gland.

Firearms, too, were on display. Both a hunting rifle and a smooth bore military musket. On the Lewis & Clark expedition, there were some civilians who brought their own weaponry. These were loaded with gunpowder and iron pellets melted down and shaped with special tools, and then fired at game as needed. Lewis & Clark had something relatively new on their expedition, however - a Girardoni air rifle. The reenactors explained that this firearm was unique in that it didn’t have to be reloaded after each shot like the guns Native Americans and most others were used to seeing at the time. Using a butte that would be pumped full of air and an attachment that could hold 15-30 rounds, this air rifle could be fired without releasing any blinding smoke or flame and was still powerful enough to take down game as small as a rabbit or as large as a deer. 

Finally, and most importantly to any person of the time, was a man who showed onlookers the 1803 version of a BIC lighter. He showed eager viewers coal cloth (simple linen smoked in an airtight container until it turned black as coal), flynt (a common stone which breaks off into necessary sharp edges), a steel striker (which a blacksmith had made for him), a nest (dry grass, dry frayed rope, any small fuel), and a little bit of air. He wrapped the coal cloth around the flynt, struck those jagged edges against the steel, and created a spark. In three quick strikes, the cloth was burning red. Before it could burn his fingers, he wrapped the frayed rope nest around it and gave a few puffs of air until it was burning and could be safely discarded in the wet grass. 

In a celebration of a town’s history, these talented reenactors truly brought it to life and helped make Miller’s Landing Day something unique. Their animation and eagerness to share their knowledge was special to behold. Well done, ladies and gentlemen.