photo by: Christopher Dacanay

Steubenville Mayor Jerry Barilla, left, and Glenn Balk stood with Red Fox, a newly donated display at the Steubenville Visitor Center that portrays the look of a North American Mountain Man from the 1800s.

The Steubenville Visitor Center has a new, rugged addition to its historical displays.

His name is Red Fox, and he’s a life-sized human mannequin that portrays what Mountain Men would have looked like. A Mountain Man is an explorer who lived during the 1800s, typically in the North American Rocky Mountains region, and made a living through trapping and fur trading.

Constructed by Glenn and Doloras Balk, Red Fox’s clothes are made from tanned deer hides, using deer sinew, or muscle tendons, to tie the hides together. Extra scraps from the hides embellish the clothes as tassels, along with horsehair decorations.

Beadwork for Red Fox’s outfit was done by Wayne “Turkey Foot” Finney, and individuals from the Cree tribe of Native Americans, who live primarily in Canada, crafted his moccasins. At Red Fox’s side is a powder horn and a pouch that carries material for loading a musket.

What gave Red Fox his name is his hat, made from the pelt of a fox.

Both mannequin and outfit for Red Fox were donated to the center in late February by Glenn and Susan Balk, but the outfit itself has a story that stretches back around 40 years.

Originally from Glen Robbins, Glenn Balk first became interested in early American history through his admiration of Native Americans, having an appreciation for Ohio tribes like the Adena, Delaware, Hopewell, Mingo, Mohawk, Shawnee, Seneca and Powhatan.

“They are very interesting people, very knowledgeable people, and it’s a shame how they got treated (by settlers),” said Balk, who has also become involved in collecting locally discovered Native American projectile points, formerly referred to as arrowheads.

In the 1980s, Balk, who was in his 30s, began attending events held by the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association, which hosts annual shooting competitions in Friendship, Ind.

Balk said that some individuals who go to shoot dress in clothing reminiscent of American frontiersman as they shoot period weaponry. Many who attend also set up teepees, or Native American cone-shaped tents, and lay out “trading blankets” to barter for items.

Inspired, Balk and his wife constructed the Red Fox outfit, which he himself would wear, assuming the Mountain Man persona. Balk joined with fellow Mountain Man enthusiasts and portrayers Jay Hopkins, Frank Sall and Randy Uscio, who formed a group known as the Adena Mountain Men.

Balk said it was Hopkins who began booking the group to walk in various local parades and other events. Soon, the group had become an in-demand asset.

“Those people went crazy when we rode through that parade. I mean, how often do you see something like that? It’s not a Halloween costume. You try to be as authentic as possible.”

Balk recalled one instance of a parade in Martins Ferry, when a fire truck startled one of the Mountain Men’s horses, causing it to take off “like a bolt of lightning.”

In all, Balk estimated, the Mountain Men walked in about a dozen parades, twice participating in parades hosted by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. Balk has a scrapbook with newspaper clippings showing him and his fellow Mountain Men being recognized time and again.

Balk retired Red Fox after the 80s after his involvement slowed down. The outfit hung in storage until Balk decided “it needs to be shown.”

It took time for Balk to acquire a mannequin, but now Red Fox stands proudly in the visitor center, right next-door to Historic Fort Steuben, a site that Balk deeply appreciates for its historical significance as the former home of frontier land surveyors.

“This fort’s got a lot to offer, people don’t realize it,” Balk said. “People ought to come and know their area.”

Steubenville Mayor Jerry Barilla, president of Historic Fort Steuben and the Steubenville Visitor Center, said he believes Red Fox will be a “great asset going forward,” being the center’s first Mountain Man outfit on display.

“We’re thrilled to have it here at Historic Fort Steuben. It’ll stay here as long as we can. It fits right in with all the other items we have here.”

What started as a hobby grew into something more, and Balk said it’s his hope that Red Fox can continue to bring joy to people from his new home.