Frontier Partisans

The Adventurers, Rangers and Scouts Who Fought the Battles of Empire

The River Marauders

January 17, 2022, by JimC

I love dioramas. Ever since I was a little kid, there was something magical about an artistic, three-dimensional depiction of some historic event or battle. A diorama has the power to mesmerize.

Imagine my delight when Craig Rullman walked through the doors of The Nugget bearing a Christmas present he had crafted over many hours. He named his creation The River Marauders-1750 — and I love it.

I am absorbed in sussing out the backstory on what I believe to be a French coureur du bois and his Anishinibeg (probably Ottawa) comrade running a stream in a birchbark canoe, somewhere in the pays d’en haut. The trapper/trader has espied a tomahawk on the banks. He’s shipped his paddle and reached for his fusil. Does the ’hawk represent the remains of a fatal encounter? A warning? Or simply a lost piece of gear? In this country, you have to interpret the sign carefully because your life may depend on it.

Where did they come from? Where are they headed? What will they find there — a rich haul of furs or a lonely death, leaving their bones to bleach in the wilderness?

I’ll let you know when I know…

 

Filed Under: The War Chest

Previous Post: « ‘I Never Will Walk By The Brazos Again’
Next Post: Working The Trapline — Pocahontas Face »

Comments

  1. Paul McNamee says

    January 17, 2022 at 11:08 am

    That is amazing!

    Reply
  2. Matthew says

    January 17, 2022 at 12:24 pm

    Cool!

    Reply
  3. David Wrolson says

    January 17, 2022 at 2:38 pm

    Awesome. Fun.

    2 books came from UPS today that are your fault.

    1) “Indeh”-the Eve Ball/Lynda Sanchez book.

    2) “A History of Canada in Ten Maps”

    from 2001 to 2009-I did a number of fishing trips into the Canadian bush with 2 iterations of high school friends. 2 deaths of said friends put a stop to that.

    But, I had a lot of fun with maps of remote areas of Manitoba/Ontario as we looked at where we were going. it was a very remote area of Manitoba. We portaged in and so forth.

    Reply
    • JimC says

      January 17, 2022 at 2:46 pm

      Fantastic. I’d love a review of the 10 maps book.

      Reply
  4. lane+batot says

    January 18, 2022 at 9:30 am

    GREAT diorama! And rather professional looking, for sure! I have dioramas–not so professional-looking(the emphasis on “die” with a lot of them….) throughout my house; on every shelf and in every niche. All manner of plastic critters of all kinds– including lots of dinosaurs, and some mythical beasts; and then there’s some Indians–all involved in all manner of predatory activity. My kitchen bar/counter is taken up ENTIRELY with Pleistocene Mammals–a “Pleistocene Scene”, if you will. I can get away with decorating this way, probably only because I am a hermit bachelor……

    Reply
  5. Reese Crawford says

    January 18, 2022 at 10:47 pm

    Beautiful work!!! What scale is it in?

    Reply
    • JimC says

      January 19, 2022 at 6:41 am

      Don’t know re the official scale of the figures — the whole thing is about a foot wide and six inches tall.

      Reply
  6. Zach says

    February 1, 2022 at 9:20 am

    That’s a lovely diorama. What spectacular work!

    Reply
    • JimC says

      February 1, 2022 at 9:52 am

      Yeah, it’s a special thing.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Frontier Partisans

  • Introduction
  • Jim Cornelius
  • Trading Post
  • The Muster (Links)
  • Search this Site

Podcast Campfire Sparked

Introduction to the Podcast,
or head on over to listen:
Frontier Partisans Podcast

The Trading Post is OPEN

Frontier Partisan t-shirt: Balen-Powell's illustration of Frederick Burnham on front; "The only partisanship we tolerate in these parts is Frontier Partisanship" on back.

Trading Post Cart

Cart is empty $0

Support Frontier Partisans

What I’m Aiming For

Go Fund Me

go fund me frontier partisans

Receive Frontier Partisans Posts Via Email

Categories

  • Chapters
  • Frontier Partisan Bookshelf
  • On Your Own Hook
  • The War Chest

Recent Posts

  • A Tale Of Two Jamies
  • Working The Trapline — Montana Mayhem; Scottish Slaughter
  • Rangers & Wardens
  • A Storyteller Makes His Final Journey
  • Working The Trapline — Baptized & Buried On The Terminal List
  • Chasing Horse Bust
  • Working the Trapline — Bayou, Bullet Garden & Big Ponderoo
  • Warriors Of The Dawn

fp@frontierpartisans.com

© 2023 FRONTIER PARTISANS, Jim Cornelius