Dogs and guns and everything in-between

Where else can you buy some newborn puppies, rifles, gardening tools, old clothes, bows and arrows, knives, and big honking Texas Tators [sic]? The Rutledge Flea Market, a.k.a. the ‘Dog and Gun’.

There’s only one weekend a month when something resembling actual traffic starts to stream through Rutledge, and you can bet these vehicles are all en route to the Dog and Gun. People drive in from all over Missouri, Iowa, and elsewhere for what must be the biggest, greasiest, golf cart-crowded flea market in the midwest.

The Dog and Gun takes place in a gigantic open lot at the far end of Rutledge once a month throughout the entire summer. Many families tow their ATVs, golf carts, motorscooters, etc. so that they are not burdened with the prospect of actually walking around the market. Up and down the aisles these individuals and families drive, frequently creating mini traffic jams, the likes of which cannot be known outside of this Mid-western microcosm. It’s not uncommon to see ATVs towing trailers filled with families. And the smell of fumes must be more prevalent here than anywhere else on actual town roads.

There is a definite and very tangible mini-culture within the gates of the Dog and Gun, and all types of interesting characters are to be found wandering about. The crowd consists of lots of old farmers, burly hunters (with guns over their shoulders, no less), Mennonite families, and rural families. It’s a crowd you don’t really get to see everyday. (Or maybe you do, but I am definitely not used to it.)

The wares are many, including plenty of illegally sold dogs (owners sell the collars, and the dogs come with them), guns and rifles, chickens, goats, rusty tools, rusty cookware, clothing, old trinkets undoubtedly dug up from people’s basements and attics, elk jerky, knives… oh my!

It’s a sight to see. I went today with my friend and we marveled at the people and the goings-on. It’s a trip, no doubt. I think the Dog and Gun is deserving of some kind of cultural study.

Note: Please find all of my cob building related content at my new blog, The Year of Mud: Building a cob house. Thanks! See you there!

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