For McMillan Elementary fourth-grade teacher Emma Quilter, a cherished childhood memory was creating crafts to trade at her school’s mountain man rendezvous with other classmates, then making homemade butter.

During the mountain man rendezvous, McMillan fourth-graders try walking on stilts. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

“When I became a fourth-grade teacher, I knew I had to implement a mountain man rendezvous, because it's my fondest memory from fourth grade,” she said.

This year, Quilter brought the tradition to life for fourth-grade students, who have been studying Utah history and visiting sites including Antelope Island, This Is the Place Heritage Park, Ensign Peak and the state capitol.

“This year was getting kids out and experiencing their state. I'm hoping by doing so, they learn the history of Utah. We really spent a lot of time learning about Native Americans, then we moved on to Spanish explorers and mountain men and now pioneers. The mountain men and pioneers were crucial to the settling of Utah,” she said. “I want that to hit home, and enunciate that part of our history, have that time to come to life. They'll never forget this. It makes social studies a lot more engaging and fun when you do activities like this.”

With help from fellow fourth-grade teacher Meghan Fe’iloaki, Quilter recreated the rendezvous experience starting with a student-run trading post, modeled after her own fourth-grade memory.

“The last couple weeks, with the supplies parents have donated, the kids have been making crafts. They made clay, arrowheads, dream catchers, painted rocks and twigs, wall hangings with yarn coming down, beaded bracelets, friendship bracelets, and then a couple of them made up their own thing, which was fun,” she said.

Students earned paper “beaver pelts” through good behavior and completed tasks, which they used as currency at the trading post.

“The students were excited to earn the beaver pelts, and they were working hard every day and that reminded them why the mountain men were here in the first place. So being able to spend those beaver pelts on goods at a trading post cemented learning about mountain men,” Quilter said.

In the afternoon, the event moved outdoors, where students rotated through hands-on pioneer experiences: making butter, building four types of fires, walking on stilts, and playing games such as tug-of-war and potato sack races. 

The day ended with square dancing, “boot, scootin’ boogie,” Johnny cakes, and homemade root beer.

Parents contributed beyond donations, assisting with activity stations and sharing authentic pioneer clothing.

Sack races, tug-of-war and other pioneer games were part of the fun at McMillan’s mountain man rendezvous. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

“That helped inspire a lot of them to want to dress up,” she said.

Fourth-grader Kam Sandersen, dressed as a mountain man, proudly wore a raccoon hat.

“I like how it feels old fashioned,” he said. “I made clay figures for the trading post; they made me rich.”

Classmate Kai Sheahan also embraced the experience.

“My mom made my costume,” Kai said. “I made bows and arrows for the training post and I had a bunch of beaver pelts I earned. It’s been fun walking higher on the stilts.”

At the pioneer game rotation, fourth-grader Herly St. Rhood celebrated a team victory.

“We lost the first two rounds, but won the next,” Herly said. “I learned we need to work together.”

Dressed as a pioneer, Estell Palmer had just come from the stilts rotation.

“My favorite part is probably dressing up; my sister made this skirt and my mom made the top,” she said. “Making 

butter was fun because normally we buy butter from a store, so it's cool I got to make my own.”

Estell also traded clay pots for painted rocks, a dream catcher, and a pouch—and bought a handheld fan with her pelts.

Classmate Nya Bogand appreciated the way the event connected to classroom learning.

“Many of the Utah tribes people wore big outfits made from things around here, animals, plants, and they were designed to be useful and for protection,” she said. “The mountain men and pioneers took months to get to Utah where they found the Great Salt Lake and made their homes here. I’m getting a sense of what it was like to live then.”

For Zoey Oyzerskiy, picking a favorite activity was impossible.

“I loved it all — I learned how to make butter, how to make four different kinds of fire, how to walk on stilts – and now, I get to learn dances,” she said.

Quilter was delighted to bring her favorite memory full circle.

“This is definitely a highlight — watching kids get excited and being engaged with their state's history,” she said. “It's super fun and they’re also earning more appreciation for where they live.”