By Cindy GladdenRecord Staff WriterThe Trappers of Starved Rock all share an appetite for history and a love of the long rifle.The black powder club, formed in 1974, will hold its first event at The Infield Sports Bar/Grill in Marthasville Sunday, March 2.The event, scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., is free to the public. Antique muzzle loaders and cannon will be on display, along with other trade goods from the 1700-1840 era.Bob Hostkoetter of Deutsch Country Days and Luxenhaus Farm, has been associated with the trappers for many years and has allowed them to reconstruct a cabin and fashion a firing range on his property north of Marthasville.Randy Stratton, John Adams, Craig Hart and Dean Venardos are just four of the nearly 30 members of the club. For years, the trappers have volunteered their time at the annual Deutsch Country Days event, setting up their camp along the Osage Trail. The club is a member of the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association (NMLRA).“I like having this place for them,” said Hostkoetter. “It’s a place where they can shoot and also help the Scouts earn their merit badges.”During westward expansion, the Osage tribe referred to areas of Missouri as “Starved Rock,” due to the scarcity of game. The trappers adopted it as their club name. The members of the club enjoy the commaraderie, learning from each other, and teaching the next generation.John Adams is the club’s historian. “I’ve always been interested in antique firearms and shooting in general,” said Adams. “I like to build powder horns. There are two American art forms, the long rifle and the powder horn.”“Adams can be given a piece of junk and he comes back with something neat,” said Stratton. “He makes rifles and powder horns, all decorated with scrimshaw (carvings done on bone or ivory).”Hart said he learned to love the long rifle from his uncle and believes antique guns are “functional pieces of art.”Venardos grew up shooting muzzleloaders and has a passion for learning as much as he can about America’s backwoodsmen.“I started out with Civil War history years ago,” he said. “I learned how to make a crude powder horn, how to prime, powder, patch, ball.”Those steps hold some of the secrets to shooting the long rifle. Taking approximately a minute or more to load and prime, the flintlock was used by the American military and civilians from the beginning of the country’s history through the Civil War.Stratton said he began his journey through history by making long bows and later joined the black powder club.“You learn from history,” said Stratton. “At least I hope we do. We need to preserve the reason why we went to war with England.”Hostkoetter said the Trappers of Starved Rock add credibility to the Deutsch Country Days event held each October. The members help educate the public by wearing handmade clothes similar to the trapper’s of early America, and by displaying the tools used to hunt, trap and survive in the wilderness.Stratton said the club began building the cabin in 2011 with Hostkoetter’s help and expertise. Donated by Glenn Ridder, Marthasville, the cabin, circa 1850, belonged to the Schake-Ridder family. Lumber from a smokehouse and washhouse (circa 1867) from the Schoppenhorst and Hulsey families was also used in the construction of the cabin.The cabin provides a gathering place for the trappers during local events. The shooting range is open to the club every third Sunday.Adams said club members volunteer at events year round in Warren, St. Charles and St. Louis counties. They enjoy showing children what it took to bring in game, start a fire with flint and tinder and learn the proper handling of a flintlock rifle.Items of interest during the trade fair will include a bow maker (bowyer), period clothing, accessories, pioneer toys and powder horn makers. The Booneslick Strings will play period music and the Infield will offer its regular menu, plus the addition of biscuits and gravy for the morning hours.The trade fair to be held this weekend is sponsored by the Trappers of Starved Rock, Deutsch Country Days and the NMLRA. The Infield Sports Bar/Grill is located at 16016 Highway 47 in Marthasville.A limited amount of raffle tickets will be available for chance to win a David Wright framed lithograph. For more information about the artist, visit www.davidwrightart.com.For more information about the Trappers of Starved Rock, visit www.trappersofstarvedrock.com.

TRAPPERS OF STARVED ROCK Trappers meet at the restored Schake-Ridder cabin north of Marthasville on the property of Bob and Lois Hostkoetter, home to Deutsch Country Days and Luxenhaus Farm. Members erected the cabin and built a shooting range to hone their skills on the long rifle. Pictured, from left, are John Adams, Randy Stratton, Craig Hart and Dean Venardos. Cindy Gladden photo.