XVII 



THE INFLUENCE OF WILD MAMMALS IN THE EXPLORA- 

 TION AND SETTLEMENT OF NORTH AMERICA 

 AND UPON HISTORY 



Probably wild mammals have figured largely in the early human oc- 

 cupancy and exploration of many lands, but perhaps nowhere has that 

 influence been more profound and obvious than in North America, 

 especially that portion lying north of the latitude of St. Louis. The 

 value of wild mammals as a source of food for exploring expeditions 

 was brought to fleeting public attention by the popular accounts of a 

 somewhat recent expedition to Africa, when an ex-president of the 

 United States and his son furnished a large part of the food of the 

 entire safari of more than one hundred men from the game that fell 

 before their rifles. 1 How many readers of those accounts connected that 

 idea with the early history of the United States and Canada? Though- 

 out this vast region, the meat of wild animals of the virgin forests, 

 plains and mountains provided the trappers, traders and explorers with 

 abundant food, the skins furnished them with warm clothing and tem- 

 porary shelter to protect them from storms until they could establish 

 habitations. The stories brought back by the explorers and trappers 

 stimulated permanent settlers to push back the frontiers, and mam- 

 mals furnished them, too, with food, raiment and shelter until they 

 could build cabins, clear land and plant and harvest their first crops. 



It has been said that "the most important fact in American history 

 is the beaver." In a certain sense this is true. Until rather recently the 

 beaver, because of its size, excellence, general distribution, abundance 

 and gregarious habits, was the center of the fur trade of America, and 

 the trappers and traders connected with that ancient industry led the 

 way into the wilderness and "blazed the trails" for the settlers who fol- 

 lowed far behind. 2 A large number of other fur-bearing mammals con- 

 tributed to the lure that led the trappers and traders to leave the estab- 

 lished settlements and proceed, alone or in small groups, into the un- 

 known wilderness, confident that the game of the solitudes would 



1 Roosevelt, African game trails, 1910. 



2 Vandiver, The fur trade and early exploration, Cleveland, 1929. Dale, Ashley- 

 Smith Exploration, Cleveland, 1918. See also books cited in footnotes of Chap. ix. 



112 



