SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies located in the American Redoubt region that are of interest to preppers and survivalists. Today, some coverage of summer wildfires throughout the region

Idaho

Level 3 (Go Now!) Evacuations issued for Gwen Fire near Juliaetta. JWR’s Comments:  That long sloping valley was where the late Carla Emery lived, back in the 1980s. She was the author of The Encyclopedia of Country Living which has often been mentioned in SurvivalBlog. The Emerys lived closer to Kendrick, which is now threatened by the same fire.

An update from another news outlet: Idaho State Police shuts down Highway 12 due to wildfire.

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Team Idaho in the Paris Olympics: Who and when to watch.

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At Redoubt News: Interview with Cornel Rasor owner of Army Surplus Sandpoint.

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And speaking of surplus stores, see this video: Idaho Is Fun, Take A Road Trip! (Idaho’s largest surplus store, in Idaho Falls, can be seen in a 24-minute video tour, starting at the 11:55 mark.)

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“You can tax the rich to pay for current spending. You can even tax them very heavily. But when the rich look forward for decades and see nothing but increasing taxes, debts, and government control of their businesses and assets – they will leave.” – Porter Stansberry

Preparedness Notes for Monday — July 29, 2024

On July 29, 1609, Samuel de Champlain shot and killed two Iroquois chiefs at Ticonderoga, New York setting the stage for French-Iroquois conflicts for the next 150 years.

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Please say a prayer for Pastor Chuck Balwin. He underwent emergency abdominal surgery about six weeks ago, and he is slowly recovering.

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Today’s feature article is a review written by SurvivalBlog staffer Tom Christianson.

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We are now seeking entries for Round 114 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $900,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 114 begins on August 1st. You can e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

BeaverCraft Glacier Bushcraft Knife, by Thomas Christianson

The Ukrainian-made BeaverCraft Glacier Bushcraft Knife has a razor-sharp, 4.25-inch, full-tang, Scandi-grind blade made of 1066 high carbon steel. The blade is 1.18 inches wide, and 0.13 inches thick at the base.

The knife is 10.63 inches overall in length, with an unfinished European walnut handle. It comes with a nice leather dangler-form sheath.

Although 1066 steel is not highly corrosion resistant, I did not experience any problems with rust throughout the testing period even though I used the knife under a wide variety of inclement weather conditions.

With a price at the time of writing of $45 at beavercrafttools.com, the knife represents a good value for the money. If you need a highly functional and attractive knife and sheath combination at a reasonable price, the BeaverCraft Glacier Bushcraft Knife might be a good choice.Continue reading“BeaverCraft Glacier Bushcraft Knife, by Thomas Christianson”

Recipe of the Week: Hearty Trail Bread

The following recipe for Hearty Trail Bread is from SurvivalBlog reader Tina B.

Ingredients
  • 3 cups bread flour, divided
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 2 (4-1/2 tsp.) envelopes Instant Yeast (such as Fleischmann’s)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 cup butter OR margarine
  • 1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
  • 1/2 cup prunes, chopped
  • 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, coarsely chopped
  • 1/4 cup sunflower kernels
  • 1/4 cup coconut
Directions
  1. Combine 1 cup bread flour, whole wheat flour, undissolved yeast, salt and sugars in a large mixer bowl.
  2. Heat milk, water and butter to very warm (120° to 130°F). Stir into dry ingredients.
  3. Add enough remaining bread flour to form a soft dough.
  4. Knead on a lightly floured surface 6 to 8 minutes until smooth and elastic.
  5. Roll out dough to 1-inch thickness, sprinkle half with dried fruit, seeds and coconut.
  6. Fold the dough over filling, seal the edges and knead for 2 minutes longer to evenly disperse.
  7. Cover and let rest on a floured surface for 10 minutes.
  8. Punch down dough and form into an oval shaped loaf.
  9. Place on greased baking sheet.
  10. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free area for 30 to 60 minutes until double.
  11. Preheat oven to 375 F.
  12. Make a few shallow, diagonal slits on the surface of the loaf.
  13. Bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 20 to 25 minutes.
  14. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.
STORAGE

This stores well for up to a week, refrigerated, and up to three days (depending on temperature) wrapped in plastic in your backpack.

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Do you have a well-tested recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? In this weekly recipe column, we place emphasis on recipes that use long-term storage foods, recipes for wild game, dutch oven recipes, slow cooker recipes, and any recipes that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!

SurvivalBlog Graphic of the Week

Today’s graphic shows the rates of home ownership in the United States. (Graphic courtesy of Reddit. Research and graphic by Ehsan Soltani, using U.S. Census data. First published by econovis.net.)

The thumbnail image below is click-expandable.

 

 

 

 

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Please send your graphic ideas to JWR. (Either via e-mail or via our Contact form.) Any graphics that you send must either be your own creation or uncopyrighted.

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — July 28, 2024

On July 28, 1794, French Revolutionary figure Maximilien Robespierre and 22 other leaders of “the Terror” guillotined to thunderous cheers in Paris.

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On July 28, 1932, U.S. Army troops, using tanks, cavalry, and tear gas demolished and burned the shanty town set up near the U.S. Capitol by unemployed Bonus Army protestors.

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July 28th is also the anniversary of the outbreak of World War I, in 1914. This war irreparably changed geopolitics and set the stage for both World War II and the Cold War.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 113 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2,000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $359 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  5. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  3. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

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More than $900,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 113 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

 

 

The Well-Rounded Prepper, by Cactus Jack

The recent Crowdstrike computer/IT outage got us thinking about a host of things that affect our everyday lives. How do we get cash out of the bank, fuel for our vehicles, food, water, etc. when the power or internet is out? Start pulling on a loose thread and we soon realize that in life everything seems to be connected.
There are ‘must have’ items that we always carry with us. Cash, a small amount of US 90% silver coins, firearm(s), knives (as in more than one), water, food, some tools, gloves, hat, and some cordage (rope or heavy twine) In reality we have a lot more than that but this is the minimum in both vehicles.

We need to have spare cash to cope with the internet being down. How much? Where do we stash it? Who do we tell the hidden location in case there is an emergency? Most insurance companies only insure a residence for a maximum of $2000 in cash, jewelry or firearms so we try to have at least that on hand and in the safe. A mix of bills is best. One philosophy for SHTF is you will need $50 bills more than you will need .50 BMGs. But why not have both?Continue reading“The Well-Rounded Prepper, by Cactus Jack”

JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR:

Meme Text: The Kamala Venn Diagram

People Who Like Venn Diagrams

People Who Understand Venn Diagrams

People Who Can Make Venn Diagrams

News Links: Kamala Harris: “I Love Venn Diagrams” 

Notes From JWR: Do you have a meme idea? Just e-mail me the concept, and I’ll try to assemble it. And if it is posted then I’ll give you credit. Thanks!

Permission to repost memes that I’ve created is granted, provided that credit to SurvivalBlog.com is included.

 

The Editors’ Quote of the Day: 

“Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught.

And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?

Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.

If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.

He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.

Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me?

The people answered and said, Thou hast a devil: who goeth about to kill thee?

Jesus answered and said unto them, I have done one work, and ye all marvel.

Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision; (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers;) and ye on the sabbath day circumcise a man.

If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath day?

Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

Then said some of them of Jerusalem, Is not this he, whom they seek to kill?

But, lo, he speaketh boldly, and they say nothing unto him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ?

Howbeit we know this man whence he is: but when Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is.

Then cried Jesus in the temple as he taught, saying, Ye both know me, and ye know whence I am: and I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, whom ye know not.

But I know him: for I am from him, and he hath sent me.“- John 7:14-29 (KJV) 

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — July 27, 2024

The first test flight of the F-15 Eagle air superiority fighter took place on July 27, 1972, at Edwards Air Force Base, California. McDonnell Douglas Chief Experimental Test Pilot Irving L. Burrows was at the controls.

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July 27th is the birthday of Captain Samuel Whittemore (born in 1694, died February 3, 1793). He was an English-born American farmer and soldier. He was eighty years of age when he became the oldest known colonial combatant in the American War of Independence.

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On July 27, 1377 there was the first example of a quarantine. In the city of Rugusa (now Dubroknik) the city council passed a law saying newcomers from plague areas must be isolated for 30 days. This was later expanded to 40 days, quaranta in Italian — hence the origin of the word quarantine.

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And on July 27, 1921, Frederick Banting and Charles Best isolated insulin at the University of Toronto.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 113 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2,000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $359 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  5. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  3. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $900,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 113 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Building a Utility Trailer – Part 2, by Lodge Pole

(Continued from Part 1.  This concludes the article.)

What to store in the trailer truck box?

Because of the current mindset of theft with little to no penalty in many states, I do not have a truck box attached to my personal truck any longer. Since I do not take my trailer out, except for outdoor activities where I am typically within eyesight of it, I feel comfortable having a toolbox permanently attached to the trailer frame. The following is a list of what I carry in my toolbox and why. This is an extremely personal list suited to what I do and where I go. This is my first trailer, but I have had truck boxes before. I have created this list through decades of outdoor activities, both professionally and extracurricular, as well as through trial and error. For me, my trailer truck box always has:Continue reading“Building a Utility Trailer – Part 2, by Lodge Pole”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug-out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those — or excerpts thereof — in the Odds ‘n Sods Column or in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

This past week, with the help of our neighbor’s tractor, we cleaned out the main corral and the bullpen. The manure was segregated, by age. The oldest manure — fully rotted down to the consistency of soil — was taken down near the annex garden to form another squash-growing mound. The rest was set aside in two piles to rot. Some of that will be hauled by wheelbarrow loads to fertilize around the drip lines of some fruit frees. The rest will be left to rot for another 10 months and then used in our gardens. And some of that will be used to fertilize edible forest garden mounds/patches — mostly in our ranch’s timbered areas.

I cataloged a few new guns, including a nice scoped Chilean contract Model 1895 Mauser Loewe Sporter chambered in 7×57 Mauser. I’ve also been busy tagging merchandise and pre-packing for a gun show in early August. This will be the first time that I’ve rented tables at a gun show in several years.  (I mainly go to gun shows just to buy antique guns for my mailorder business.  I normally spend just one day walking each show and don’t rent any tables.)

Now, Lily’s part of the report…

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,

Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?

Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.

Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.

Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?

Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;

When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb?

When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it,

And brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors,

And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed?

Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days; and caused the dayspring to know his place;

That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, that the wicked might be shaken out of it?“- Job 38:1-13 (KJV)