THE TEMPLETON KNAP-IN AND ADVENTURE SAGA(and did I mention the
waitresses?) . BY Ray Harwood
It was about 5:00 a.m. Saturday December 3, 2005. The alarm came
blasting in my ear, what the hell, where am I? Oh yeah it's knap in
day. Patric Aims and I had planned an adventure to the "KNAP-IN AND
WILDERNESS SKILLS DAYTEMPLETON, CA" About 45 minutes later Pats
Durango's lights were beaming in my Bakersfield's home front
window. I had pulled out a bunch of junk to bring in haste the
night before. Down the road we went, our tires blowing dust and old
chicken feathers like mosses dividing the sea it was a blast, we
had a lot of catching up to do as I had not been to a knap in
years. I met Pat through the Bakersfield Kern River knappers, at
Hart Park in Bakersfield. We got into Templeton about 8A.M. it was
a clean crisp morning. We exited the highway on Main Street but had
a hard time finding the 3 Dogs Ranch. We went back to a really cool
looking cattle auction place that had the pens and stock yard in the
back 40 and a staek house in the front. It was "HOOVERS BEEF PALACE"
Heck I'm on a diet so lets eat! At Hoover's Beef Palace the moto
is " If you enjoy your meal, tell a friend, if you don't, tell us".
All over the wall are photos of dudes with cowboy hats, it has all
the looks of an old time dinner and the ultimate was the waitresses,
for you young bucks,these best looking cowgirls this side of the Pecos.
Hoover's Beef Palace HAS BEEN A FAMILY OWNED BUSNESS FOR MANY YEARS, from
fresh baked biscuits to grinding their own sausage to peeling and cutting
fresh potatoes for Freedom fries. THATS-
A-FOE-SHOW-! After Patrick and I had stuffed ourselves full of chow
we headed out again in search of the knap-in again had a hard time
finding the 3 Dogs Ranch. We finely saw a big sign with an Ishi
point painted on it and headed down a dirt road along a dry river
band. About a mile in we say the ranch and headed in. Ralph's ranch
is a nice place, critters all over the place. It was still early
and a bit cold, Joe Dabble and Ralph started a fire and as we got
warm and smelled the smoke we exchanged bullshit about bows arrows
and arrowheads. A whole passel of knappers came in one by one.
Joes wife had set up a Mexican camp chuck wagon and for 5 bucks you
could eat your fill. Misses Joes also made and sold Indian baskets
and leather and buckskin bags. Ralph had a load of points he had
made of the local flints, very nice and thin. I didn't come home
with any local material as originally promised however, Pat and I
looked but, to no avail. Joe also had a lot of points he made out of
local material, I had promised I would buy some off him a couple of
weeks ago, the points wern't up to his usual quality, but I kept my
word and bought a bunch. I have not been to a knap inn for a long
time, I must say it was really good, no egos at all, no jerks with
mind games our anything like that. The host was Ralph and Joe. Joe
had become a California legend by the late 1960s and had the nick
name of "Indian Joe", this name given to him by the prominent
archaeologists of the day. Joe says he learned his
style by trail and error using books with Ishi points as a
pattern,same for the knapping tools. His notching style
comes a great deal from Errett. Joe could make fire in of minutes
with a natural yucca file board and mule fat
stick. Joe was also a master of the Ishi style flintknapping
methodology. I first came to here about him in about
1969 and then in the 70s, he gave demos on Catalina Island for
Archaeologists and movie people. His points were often seen for sale
for $3.50 up and down the central to northern California coastal
towns, these populated by thousands of hippies. I remember buying
one in a hippie shop in Pismo Beech in 1976. The hippie lady at the
counter said I could meet the knapper, but like as ass I sais "naw
it's OK. I did end up meeting him 8 years later, in 1984, at CSUN.
Joe's Ishi points of both glass and obsidian were each an impressive
work of art. Ray and Joe became friends and Ray began to study Joe's
flintknapping methods.
Joe Dabil had learned the arts of wilderness
survival hands on. Joe was an Olympic class long distance runner in
the 1960s, and when a Doctor informed him
he had a life threatening decease disease he fled into the
wilderness. There
in the woods, alone, Joe eked out a survival on
natural foods. Eventually Joe relearned the arts of Ishi, sinew back
bow making, arrow-smithing, fire drill
technology, cordage making, brain tanning and of
coarse...flintknapping. As miracle have it, Joe lived out his death
sentence and is still practicing wilderness skills today.and did I
mention the waitresses?
JOE PUTS ON CLSSES, KNAP-INS AND DEMOS- HERE IS HIS INFO:
KNAP-IN AND WILDERNESS SKILLS DAY
TEMPLETON, CA JOE DABIL. CALL RALPH 805-550-6408
DEC 3-4 2005.FREE CAMPING. JOE DABIL CLASSES AND SEMINARS (805) 801-
2678 or (805)466-4336 ask for
JOE DABIL. "DONDAY ESTA SENOIR JOE DABIL" BAKERSFIELD RIDE SHARE
BACK SAT. NIGHT SO CAN STILL SEE ALTON SAFFORD ON SUNDAY AT HART
PARK.
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