Next weekend, people walking into Greene’s Gun Shop to check out historic rifles and handguns might find themselves face to face with mountain men and fur traders from two centuries ago.

For owners Claudette Greene and Greg Roberts, time travel isn’t anything new. For what they think might be the eighth or ninth time, their shop will take a leap into a fur trade post in the 1800s, where they will meet fellow traders and trappers and hit targets with arrows, firearms, tomahawks and more.

These gatherings are known as “rendezvous” and are reenactments of historical rendezvous events that took place in the fur trade era, a period in American history from the arrival of Europeans on the continent to approximately the mid-1800s.

To Roberts, Greene and other rendezvous regulars, it’s not just fun and games, but a way to remember an important piece of American history. The owners welcome people of all ages to attend their rendezvous and living history event Aug. 9-11 at their location at 4778 Monkey Hill Road on North Whidbey, where they can learn a thing or two about this time period.

On top of modern rifles and handguns, Greene’s Gun Shop sells knives, tomahawks, locks, collectibles and muzzleloading firearms such as the Hawken rifle, which was used by fur trappers, traders and explorers in the early to mid-19th century.

In 1990, Greene’s bought a business that was very instrumental in the fur trade, The Hawken Shop, originally located in St. Louis.

As a seasoned pistol smith who makes historical firearms, Roberts is particularly fascinated by the mechanics of old firearms and their role in these exchanges, and hopes to share this knowledge and enthusiasm with travelers from Whidbey and beyond.

On Friday and Saturday next week at 11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m., participants can learn how to shoot a muzzleloader, an old-style firearm that is loaded through the open end of the barrel — known as the muzzle. Kids will also be allowed to shoot under “strict” adult supervision, Roberts said.

At 10 a.m., 2 and 4 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, attendees will learn how to throw a tomahawk.

Attendees can also participate in shooting, archery, knife and tomahawk throwing competitions, which will take place all weekend and require prospective contestants to register.

The awards will be given Sunday. Children might also enjoy the candy cannon, which will go off at noon Friday and Saturday, Roberts said.

The fur trade is remembered as both a good and a bad chapter in the country’s history.

In the rendezvous gatherings, which would typically take place every July and last for a few weeks, all parties had something valuable to trade.

Indigenous people would bring livestock, hides and furs that European fur companies would take in exchange for beads, brass kettles, firearms and ammunition, metal tools and cloth. The mountain men, which were European fur trappers often contracted with the fur companies, would also trade for food and equipment after a year hunting in the mountains, some in complete loneliness.

According to the State Historical Society of North Dakota and the Minnesota Historical Society, relationships between the different parties involved were friendly and respectful, but that wasn’t always the case. While the fur trade did give Indigenous people access to goods that made life easier, it also made them dependent on European settlers and led to the loss of land, widespread alcohol addiction, the spread of diseases and wildlife depletion.

Andy Ward, who co-owns and curates the G A Ruxton Museum of the Fur Trade, will tell more about the fur trade era, dispelling any myths and showing his collection of original items from the fur trade, collected from all around the country. It includes 36 original firearms, traps, knives, beads, powder horns, shooting pouches, metal items and tribal archery equipment, Ward said.

When he isn’t working as the dean of Oak Harbor Elementary, the Army veteran spends his time hunting with some of his antique firearms while wearing his handmade and historically accurate clothing, as well as reading original journals documenting the fur trade era.

He looks forward to answering questions and showing people how to load, shoot and clean a firearm, as well as explaining how traps worked and dispelling myths about the fur trade.

Ward clarified he will not be wearing a coonskin cap at the event.

“Daniel Boone and David Crockett did not wear those, that’s a very common misconception,” he said.

Another common misconception, he said, is that tribes were taken advantage of by trading their items for cheap ones.

“The word ‘cheap’ in the 18th and 19th centuries simply meant ‘inexpensive,’ it didn’t mean what we mean today with it being poorly constructed,” he said.

When “run properly,” he said, trades were mutually beneficial. However, the only people who would get rich from it were the fur company owners.

Ward and his collection can be found at the village across the street from Greene’s.

The village consists of a number of tipi tents, where people will camp and sleep on the ground.

Roberts and Ward, like other attendees, will wear clothing based on the time period.

“It replicates what you would’ve found in 1838 at the big rendezvous back in the Green River,” Roberts said.

Greene’s can also accommodate attendees in a nearby modern campground where they can spend the night in their own tents, trailers and motorhomes, Roberts said.

Walking around the village, people can find a seamstress who will demonstrate how clothes used to be made. Attendees can also admire the creation of corn husk dolls and clothespin dolls, learn how to churn butter and make knives.

The event is free to the public though there are fees for some activities — it’s $40 to camp and shoot, $25 just to shoot and $15 just to camp. Some attendees will bring their own equipment, though Greene’s will provide weapons for the workshops. Food will be available on site but people are asked to bring their own firewood and alternate cooking source, according to the event flier.

For more information, call Greg Roberts at 360-679-4657 or email greg@thehawkenshop.com.

Andy Ward prepares to shoot at Greene’s Gun Shop shooting range, where rendezvous attendees will shoot targets with muzzleloading firearms, arrows and tomahawks. (Photo by Luisa Loi)

Greg Robertson in one of his fur trade outfits. (Photo by Roger Robertson)