Craig Howell FRONTIER LIVING – Frontier Dan, a living history re-enactor, shows off a lantern made from a turtle shell, as part of his presentation at the Weirton Area Museum and Cultural Center Saturday.

WEIRTON — Visitors to the Weirton Area Museum and Cultural Center Saturday were treated to a lesson about life in the early American frontier.

As part of local observances of West Virginia Day — commemorating West Virginia’s admission as a state on June 20, 1863 — Frontier Dan discussed aspects of the lifestyle of pioneers and settlers as they began exploration of the Ohio Valley region.

Frontier Dan has conducted 30 years of research into the life of those living in the area during those times — both Indigenous and white settlers — and has served as a living history presenter for 27 years.

As part of Saturday’s event, he presented a variety of items and materials, from clothing and pouches to items found in the home, to weapons which would have been used for hunting and other needs.

“The vast majority of stuff I made,” he explained, noting the items he brought with him were crafted to be as authentic as possible to the way they had been made hundreds of years ago.

Among those were his leather leggings, which he explained Indigenous people of the area wore to protect themselves from thick brush in the wooded areas of the region, as well as a breech cloth and a haversack he said was made from the fur of an ocelot which once lived at the West Virginia State Wildlife Center.

A quiver for his arrows, made from a bobcat brought to him by a law enforcement officer after being hit and killed by a car, also was among items he showcased.

“When I make anything, it’s all about detail,” he said.

He demonstrated the use of both bow drill and flint and steel fire starter kits, as well as a block of compressed tea, similar to what would have been brought to the American colonies, playing cards and promissory notes which would have been used as part of the exchange of goods and services in those days.

“The main thing was bartering; trading,” he said, explaining there wasn’t any unified form of currency back then. “The main thing bartered was whisky.”

He noted that, while things often were tense between settlers and local tribes, there still was trading between the groups, showcasing items such as turkey calls, fish hooks and lanterns, crafted from animal bones and other materials, similar to what would have been done by the native peoples.

Other items would have been based on materials brought to the continent from Europe.

“This being a land of immigrants, they took the best ideas from other countries,” he said.

Some of his hunting-related items included an atlatl, a bow decorated with the skin of a copperhead and a Lancaster long rifle.

As part of Saturday’s event, guests were invited to enjoy refreshments, including a birthday cake in honor of West Virginia Day, and take time to explore the museum.

“We have two floors of artifacts to explore,” said Ed Giacchino, the museum’s president.