Pumps of Their own Manufacture Part 2 : The Ligonier Thing vs Shoe Packs

     

"a single piece of leather with the exception of a tongue piece on the top of the foot. This was about two inches broad and circular at the lower end" 

     So We’ve covered a little bit about Moccasins but lets push in a little more. One Item that Pops up is the “Ligonier Moccasin”. This item is a Potato chip looking piece of foot ware that came out of the Fort Ligonier Site in Western Pa. The site was a treasure trove of pieces of shoes, horse tack and assorted leather gear. When “preserved” this item can be seen to be a foot shaped potato chip.  Ok honestly it’s a leather “slipper with a sewn on sole and flap (best generic description I could think of).

                The earliest I can find this described as a “shoe pack” is in the Sketch book 76. A simple pattern is shown made off the artifact pointing towards it being a “shoepack”. Ok so why is this a shoepack? Well that is because our Buddy Joseph Doddridge Mentions a shoepack in his memoir:

                Almost every family contained its own tailors and shoemakers. Those who could not make shoes, could make shoepacks. Those, like mocassons, were made of a single piece of leather with the exception of a tongue piece on the top of the foot. This was about two inches broad and circular at the lower end. To this the main piece of leather was sewed, with a gathering stitch. The seam behind was like that of a moccason . To the shoepack a sole was sometimes added.

                In this description the sentence “To the shoepack a sole was sometimes added” is all that links the artifact to the object being described. If you go back and look at the other details being described you’ll clearly see they don’t add up.” made of a single piece of leather”? nope it’s supposedly three sperate pieces. tongue piece on the top of the foot…. about two inches broad and circular at the lower end. Nope No tongue piece at all.

                It’s also often here that people mix in Doddridge’s description of the flaps of the moccasin. He however describes no flaps on the Shoe packs. I mention this because I have heard this from a number of people and have done it myself in the past. This is why it’s a good idea to reread the classics every so often it keeps ya honest.

                Ok So now that I’ve torn apart that idea let’s start putting wood on the bonfire. In September of 1755 Adam Stephen writes to George Washington about a party going after Natives : The Indians discover our Parties by the Track of their Shoes. It would be a good thing to have Shoe-packs or Moccosons for the Scouts. – So here we have an “one or the other” Mention of Moccasins and shoe packs. In 1764 The lists of goods given to returned captives lists shoes, Moccasins and Shoepacks separately. In Runaway ads Moccasins and Shoepacks are mentioned showing they are different items:

               

Augusta County, in Virginia, June 6, 1768.

RUN away from the Subscriber, living near Stanton, the first Day of May last, a Convict Servant Man, named Michael Ferral, about 28 Years of Age, of a fair Complexion, has pale curled Hair, is about 5 Feet 9 or 10 Inches high, thick lipped, round shouldered, and small legged; He had on, and took with him when he went away, a brown Coat, and Jacket, bound round with Worsted Ferriting, Buckskin Breeches, and a Fur Hat, all about half worn, two Pair of Worsted Stockings, one Pair black, the other blue, and a Pair of Shoe packs on his Feet. Said Servant pretends to be a Doctor, and a Weaver; he has with him a Bank Note, upon the Bank in London. Whoever takes up said Servant, and brings him to his Master, or secures him, so that he may get him again, shall have FOUR POUNDS Reward, paid by me

 

so here is a period quote for you:  they have soles as thin as the top which envelopes all the foot at the height of the quarters; then, on this piece of leather, one sews a smaller piece of leather covering the top of the foot . Describes an item somewhat like Doddridges description of a shoepack? Single piece body, Upper vamp. This quote is from Jean Baptiste D’Aleyrac describing Canadian Ox hide shoes. There is quote after quote about Canadian oxhide shoes that to me has always sounded like Doddridge's description. Then Looking at extant pairs I was more convinced.

                I was mulling over this for a long time then I read the book  Frontier Seaport Detroit’s Transformation into an Atlantic Entrepôt  by Catherine Cangany. The book really does a deep look into the Moccasin Industry around Detroit and its effect on the local economy (good book ! get it! She’s also a Buffalo Trace fan, weird huh). It also has some interesting notes of the French Moccasin makers ledger books. The folks making Soulier De Boeuf change the term to “shoe pack” when Detroit enters the English sphere of influence during the 18th century. Not to “English shoe pack” or any other things that differentiates them. In fact they keep making shoepacks into the 19th century. The “French” item that looks like Doddridge’s description is probably just that.

                Ok so if the Ligonier thing isn’t a shoe pack what is it? Some folks have claimed it was a frontier “Ghillie Brogue” because for some reason white people want everything to be Scottish. My take on it is that its just what it looks like a European version of a moccasin that has been patched. The idea behind the Item is that it was originally made in 3 pieces but one detail to me shows that might not have been the case. On the toe of the “thing” there is a section of puckers or gathers. Puckers on moccasins help pull the seam up over the toe so you aren’t walking on it. If this was made in three separate pieces the Puckers wouldn’t have been needed or even wanted in the construction. The seam would simply continue down to the sole.

                When you wear moccasins and they start to wear out almost immediately. After patching and repatching moccasins, I’ve found at a certain point you really don’t have anything left to patch too. However, you can cut a uniform line on the edge and stitch (with leather whang by the way) to a sole piece of leather. The odd stitched on flap? Simply that adding a decent flap onto a junk piece of leather. In the Forbes campaign orderly book all men who shoot a deer are ordered to turn the hides over to the artillery so they can make Moccasins for the parties going out with the Cherokees towards Duquesne.  Every other detail on the thing points towards a standard Moccasin (Sewn with leather wang, Flaps, seamed up back to ankle bone, puckers on toe) made for these guys. The weird flap could be a leather saving device to get every Moccasin they could out of a few hides.

               

    So I took the basic shape of the Ligonier Moccasin and Laid it out as though it was a single piece of leather. I sewed it using bark tan leather I got from Mathew Weatherholtz (Guy does great work I cant recommend him enough to people look him up on Facebook for great hides). I’ve worn them a few times and they are working out really well. Only problem is that I made so many new Moccasins for my School of the  long hunter talk I haven’t had a chance to really try and use these yet to see how they wear out.  The Soulier or Shoepack at the top was made By Tony Bertolino in his ever evolving quest to decided between making french stuff, 19th century stuff or backcountry stuff. I Think today He's stuck on 19th century boar hunting gear.

    Alright two posts staying kind of on the rails! Next up I'll cover another original Moccasin and some construction tips for folks wanting to start to make their own. I promise though unlike Duane and his weirdness I will not bring long division and slide rulers into the construction process. Seriously I once saw him use Pi in an equation to make a pair of moccasins. That is not normal, That kind of german wittchcraft needs killed with fire. 

    

More solid information and a Picture of the actual Ligonier Potato chip here:
Of Sorts for Provincials: Moccasins and Shoe packs