TRAPPERS' CLAIMS 

 be crowded out of a trapping ground. So some 

 of the old pioneer trappers got to'gether and es- 

 tablished what is known as a trappers' claim. 

 Some held certain claims upon rights of per- 

 mission, others from permission of the land- 

 owners, while still others had bought their 

 grounds. These trapping grounds or claims, as 

 they were sometimes called, were divided by a 

 line running north and south as the river is sup- 

 posed to flow from the northeast in a south- 

 western course. So the miles on the river v/ere 

 the base lines of the claims and extended on 

 both sides of the river just as far as it was pro- 

 fitable and ran all the way from two to ten miles 

 in width. Therefore there were a good many 

 trapping grounds lying between the Indiana 

 State line and English Lake. These claims 

 were bought and sold almost the same as real 

 estate and they v/ere about as strong in their 

 stipulation as the Clayton-Bulwort treaty. They 

 have brought many a trapper on the verge ©f 

 war. Ameng the early trappers who came in 



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