It’s not every day you see a buckskin clad rider and his horse with no name traveling through Lakin. Oliver McCloskey of Cedar City, Utah, was on his 38th day of traveling when he stopped by the Kearny County Museum on July 19. The fur tanner and survivalist bought his horse at Fort Scott, Kansas and started out on June 12 to travel the Santa Fe Trail.
McCloskey is not new to this type of adventure. Last year he traveled the Oregon Trail. Since the first part of the SFT mirrors that of the Oregon Trail, McCloskey decided he would take up where he left off last year. After leaving Fort Scott, he joined up with the SFT at Canton. He will travel the original trail as much as possible, but just like the Oregon Trail, much of the SFT is not accessible.
While on his journey, McCloskey will take in as many historical sites as possible. Friends can follow him and see pictures of his trek on his Facebook page. Averaging 15 to 20 miles per day, McCloskey takes turns riding and leading the horse. He said he usually walks about two miles for every 4 miles he rides in order to give the nine-year-old mare a break. Although he carries some water and food with him, Oliver said Kansans have been very generous offering sustenance for both he and his four-legged friend. McCloskey carries along a knife and long gun for protection as well as to forage up meals when needed. He sleeps next to his steed at night, usually under the stars and his saddle blankets. Thanks to the generosity of strangers, some nights they buck down in barns.
One might wonder why he hasn’t named his four-legged companion. McCloskey said he is a no-strings attached kind of guy and will sell the horse after his journey is complete. He said it is hard keeping a horse with his lifestyle because he is away from home so much of the time. The appaloosa he traveled on last year also did not have a name and was sold. “By the time the horses have traveled that many miles, they are broke in well and in high demand,” McCloskey said. He already has buyers lined up for “No Name” who said they would drive to Santa Fe with a trailer to pick the horse up when the duo’s journey is over.
A self-taught historian, McCloskey has published a number of ledgers and journals from the fur trade era. He not only made his clothing and shoes, but also his own saddle and a deerskin bag for his rifle. McCloskey gives tanning clinics and has been contacted about giving one in Hawaii in the near future.
