The "Black Hills Rendezvous" began in the mid seventies as the "French Creek Rendezvous" held in Custer State Park, in the Black Hills of South Dakota. In the early 1990's the Rendezvous moved out of the Park and into the Black Hills National Forest.

It was held for five years near Nemo, SD. Three years near Pactola Reservoir and then in 1999 at Signal Hill. The 2000 Black Hills Rendezvous was unfortunately cancelled due to extreme fire danger in the Hills. The Signal Hill site was ultimately destroyed by the Jasper Fire in the late summer of 2000.

Beginning in 2001, the Black Hills Rendezvous has been held in the beautiful Hat Mountain area, south of Deerfield Lake.

The 2006 Black Hills Rendezvous was held at the same Hat Mountain site last Fall over Labor Day Weekend and we had a great time!

The 2007 Black Hills Rendezvous was held at our new Flag Mountain Site, August 29 - Sept. 3, 2007 and a great time was had by all! Due to forest service restrictions, we have had to move off of that site for the following 2008 year. See details below.

The 2008 camp was moved back to our old beautiful Hat Mountain location and we think it's one of the most beautiful sites we have ever had the pleasure to hold camp!

The 2009 camp was back at the Flag Mountain site from 2007 and will also be home to the upcoming 2010 High Plains Regional Rendezvous.

The 2010 camp was at Hat Mountain site from 2008.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What is a primitive Rendezvous anyway??? "Rendezvous" is French word meaning a predetermined place and time for meeting. Prior to 1840, the Rendezvous was an annual opportunity for the trappers to meet the traders and exchange furs for supplies, trade items, whiskey, and sometimes gold. Partaking of libations, gambling, story-swapping, and spirited competitions, along with singing and dancing were the "norm" for a week-long rambunctious time called "Rendezvous". A primitive rendezvous is a gathering of people who are interested in recreating the lifestyles and traditions of the fur-trade era. Gathered in an encampment, dressed in the pre-1840 clothing, camping in white canvas tents, cooking over an open fire, participating in period contests of skill and marksmanship, and having a wonderful time doing it is what Rendezvous is all about! In the camp there is an air of friendliness and fun. People are relaxing, partaking in period crafts or playing period games! There are shooting and archery events and knife/tomahawk throwing contests. At the larger gatherings there are demonstrations of period crafts for the whole family such as dutch oven cooking, blacksmithing, candlemaking, basketweaving, arrowmaking and flintknapping, etc. Walking around camp, you will see trade blankets setup where craftsman and traders display their goods. Memories of special times with good friends stay with you for a lifetime! We can think of no better way to spend time than primitive camping with the whole family at Rendezvous! Come out and join us and share in the fun!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Click on the links below for Rendezvous Flyer (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

Flyer & Map

Click here for Rendezvous Guidelines

Weather & Elevation:

This time of year in the Black Hills is known for warm days and cool nights, so please be prepared for any and all variations of weather. Elevation is approx. 6,400 ft.

Archery & Shooting:

Primitive archery and shooting events will be held daily. An overnight trek is also being planned with date to be determined. Tomahawk and Knife competition and a smoothbore shoot will also be held.

Horses & Dogs

Horses are welcome, and a separate horse camp area will be provided. Horse activity will be primarily restricted to horse camp area only. If travel through main camp is necessary, horses must be at a walk at all times for safety. The Black Hills offers many accesible trails for your riding pleasure, so be sure to check out the South Dakota Dept. of Tourism for horse trail info. Please contact the state of South Dakota for rules and regulations of coggins requirements, etc. Certified Weed-Free hay is required.

Dogs are also welcome, but must be on a leash at all times. Controlled behavior is the responsibilty of the owner, and quiet dogs are appreciated by all.

Permit:

This event is operated under a special use permit on the Black Hills National Forest

Firewood & Water:

Limited firewood and potable water will be provided. Scrubwood is also available onsite, however no cutting of live trees will be permitted. Fires must NOT be left unattended, and an emergency water bucket near fire must be present at all times.

Emergency Services:

Limited medical services will be available, and cell phone phone service is extremely limited.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Click here for Rendezvous pictures from the past

Click here for the BH National Forest Website

Contact Us