﻿BEAVER 
  CANAL 
  — 
  BERRY. 
  299 
  

  

  situated 
  on 
  the 
  Winnecook 
  Ranch, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  old-time 
  stock 
  ranches 
  

   still 
  persisting 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  east 
  of 
  Harlowton, 
  Mont. 
  Therefore 
  some 
  

   degree 
  of 
  protection 
  of 
  both 
  the 
  canal 
  and 
  its 
  architects 
  has 
  been 
  pos- 
  

   sible 
  during 
  a 
  part, 
  if 
  unfortunately 
  not 
  the 
  entirety, 
  of 
  the 
  period 
  of 
  

   observation. 
  More 
  generally 
  the 
  location 
  may 
  be 
  stated 
  as 
  Wheat- 
  

   land 
  County, 
  south-central 
  Montana, 
  whereof 
  the 
  principal 
  body 
  of 
  

   water 
  is 
  the 
  Musselshell 
  River, 
  a 
  considerable 
  stream 
  traversing 
  the 
  

   entire 
  county 
  in 
  a 
  west 
  to 
  east 
  direction, 
  and 
  inhabited, 
  at 
  any 
  rate 
  in 
  

   favored 
  stretches, 
  by 
  colonies 
  of 
  beaver. 
  5 
  The 
  more 
  striking 
  physio- 
  

   graphic 
  features 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  and 
  its 
  immediate 
  environs 
  are 
  fairly 
  

   constant 
  throughout 
  this 
  area. 
  The 
  prevailing 
  bench 
  lands 
  of 
  the 
  

   north, 
  and 
  the 
  rougher 
  and 
  more 
  broken 
  hills 
  to 
  the 
  south, 
  as 
  in 
  all 
  

   our 
  upper 
  prairie 
  country, 
  terrace 
  down 
  to 
  a 
  sharply 
  defined, 
  narrow, 
  

   and 
  comparatively 
  level 
  " 
  bottom," 
  through 
  which 
  meanders, 
  though 
  

   frequently 
  with 
  considerable 
  current, 
  the 
  river 
  itself 
  on 
  its 
  way 
  to 
  

   join 
  the 
  muddy 
  torrent 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  Missouri. 
  The 
  only 
  " 
  forest 
  " 
  

   is 
  an 
  irregular, 
  yet 
  generally 
  abundant 
  growth 
  of 
  cottonwood 
  trees 
  

   (Populus, 
  spp.), 
  in 
  their 
  primeval 
  state 
  all 
  intertangled 
  with 
  a 
  thick 
  

   undergrowth, 
  u 
  the 
  brush," 
  composed 
  of 
  such 
  smaller 
  trees 
  and 
  shrubs 
  

   as 
  willows 
  of 
  divers 
  species, 
  buffalo 
  berry 
  (Lepargyrea 
  argentea 
  

   Nutt), 
  chokecherry, 
  dogwood 
  (Cornus 
  stolonifera 
  Michx.), 
  wild 
  

   roses, 
  currants, 
  gooseberries, 
  and 
  other 
  associated 
  types, 
  which 
  

   borders 
  the 
  actual 
  stream 
  channel, 
  forming 
  a 
  continuous 
  belt 
  of 
  an 
  

   eighth 
  to 
  a 
  half 
  mile 
  in 
  width, 
  but 
  giving 
  way 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  to 
  

   more 
  open 
  parklike 
  spaces, 
  or 
  long 
  swales 
  or 
  sloughs. 
  In 
  spite 
  of 
  

   the 
  encroachments 
  of 
  civilization 
  and 
  a 
  relentless 
  persecution 
  at 
  the 
  

   hands 
  of 
  farmers 
  and 
  less 
  legitimate 
  foes, 
  which 
  have 
  combined 
  in 
  

   so 
  many 
  regions 
  to 
  force 
  the 
  beaver 
  to 
  surrender 
  all 
  his 
  more 
  

   characteristic 
  and 
  conspicuous 
  ways 
  of 
  life 
  or 
  be 
  exterminated, 
  in 
  

   many 
  a 
  serene 
  nook 
  along 
  the 
  Musselshell 
  his 
  lodges, 
  dams, 
  trails, 
  

   slides, 
  food 
  piles, 
  abandoned 
  stumpage 
  — 
  indeed, 
  his 
  own 
  picturesque 
  

   self, 
  are 
  still 
  to 
  be 
  observed 
  in 
  something 
  like 
  their 
  original 
  perfection. 
  

   And 
  since 
  this 
  particular 
  race 
  of 
  beaver 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  especially 
  ad- 
  

   dicted 
  to 
  building 
  canals, 
  these 
  are 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  lacking. 
  

  

  The 
  particular 
  waterway 
  in 
  question 
  (pi. 
  1.) 
  is 
  by 
  all 
  odds 
  the 
  

   finest 
  specimen 
  of 
  this 
  type 
  of 
  work 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  discovered 
  in 
  this 
  

   neighborhood. 
  Just 
  above 
  the 
  point 
  where 
  the 
  canal 
  becomes 
  tribu- 
  

   tary 
  to 
  the 
  river, 
  the 
  Musselshell 
  is 
  quite 
  deep 
  in 
  places, 
  even 
  at 
  the 
  

   lowest 
  water. 
  Slides, 
  tracks, 
  peeled 
  twigs, 
  food 
  piles, 
  and 
  other 
  

   evidences 
  of 
  beaver 
  occupation 
  have 
  long 
  been 
  numerous 
  there 
  and 
  I 
  

   have 
  little 
  doubt 
  but 
  that 
  somewhere 
  hereabout 
  is 
  the 
  principal 
  

  

  6 
  1 
  am 
  not 
  aware 
  that 
  the 
  specific 
  determination 
  of 
  the 
  beavers 
  inhabiting 
  the 
  Mussel- 
  

   shell 
  and 
  its 
  tributaries 
  has 
  ever 
  been 
  made. 
  The 
  present 
  locality 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  rather 
  

   close 
  to 
  the 
  supposed 
  boundary 
  between 
  the 
  ranges 
  of 
  Castor 
  canadensis 
  and 
  C. 
  frondator. 
  

  

  