A history of us
When I was five years old my father started leading me on very long walks in the woods with the purpose of getting me lost and making me find the way home. A few years later we started learning bow building fire building and other essential wilderness skills. This grew into a passion that has never left me. I spent all of my teen years honing my knowledge and skills through expeditions and historical re-enactment.
From nineteen ninety one until now my father has sold historical art and taught wilderness skills as a full time profession. He and I owned a re-enactment and accoutrement business together for several years. I do quill work, flint knapping, twining, and historical leather work. My father does bows, and arrows, custom fur and leather work, and we both teach historical and natural living skills, and are known nation wide for our skill and knowledge of natural American history.
In two thousand four we were offered the opportunity of a life time. The chance to truly put our skills to the test for the long term. We had eighty acres of forest land with water, trees, and fields and we had six months of absolute freedom. We headed in with only a bare minimum of supplies and equipment and finally we walked into a forest that would be our new home and proceeded to create a life. At first we simply laid blankets on the ground and built a fire pit. We then spent a week or so learning the land, finding high ground for camp, finding water, and searching out animal trails. Finally after a drawn out process of elimination we began building our wigwam. Willow saplings and birch bark. It took about four days to build. Upon completion of our camp we began the slow crawl toward natural comfort gathering up a supply of food, putting together a store of fire wood for heating and cooking. We ate dandelions, trilliums, yarrow, plantain, and more. We hunted squirrels, deer, coons, and ducks. The process of fishing with natural products was a lot more difficult than we anticipated, but we did get it down. Ultimately we were in the woods from April through July. We stopped after four months due to a very busy re-enactment schedule. However, when we left the woods we had created a huge amount of natural tools and accessories, we both felt great and I believe were the healthiest that either of us had been. It was the greatest experience of my life, and I anxiously await the chance to do it again.
Now I am working on building a permanent survival school in Minnesota. The plan is a small farm, and a traditional Minnesota based living skill facility. In the past few years I have expanded my knowledge base (through hands on experience) to add the south eastern cultures and lifestyles, as well as our south west and Pacific Northwest. I have made many friends in the primitive living realm, and hope to make many more through this endeavor.
While we are focusing on primitive technology and wilderness living education, we are also putting a lot of effort into the greatest of quality reproduction quill work, flint knapping, bows and arrows, and more so, please check out our gallery and shop
Thanks,
Blake Gregg and Jeff