36 Union Bay 



been closely trapped and now remained only in scattered 

 locations and in small numbers. Paleontologists had discov- 

 ered the fossil remains of an ancient beaver as large as a 

 bear. The smaller modern form had been known to the 

 Greeks, and Pliny, the Roman, had written about it. Once, 

 the American beaver could have been found over practically 

 all the wooded parts of the United States and almost to tree 

 limits in the mountains. In the early days of this continent's 

 settlement, furs were in demand everywhere and could find 

 a ready and profitable market. Beaver skins— smooth, silky, 

 warm, and enduring— were used for garments and hats. 

 When the white people came, their desire for furs was the 

 cause of sending out their own men and Indians as trappers 

 and killers of these peaceful creatures. The search for them, 

 which spread into the most remote districts, had much to do 

 with the discovery and settlement of the West. Many of the 

 men whose names rank high in the history of western ex- 

 ploration followed the trails of trappers and traders who, 

 alone or in small bands, had pursued, regardless of difficulty, 

 any route which would bring them to the lodges of beavers 

 or the wigwams of the native tribes who trapped them. 



As I read the history of the Northwest I marveled at the 

 part played by the beaver. The Hudson's Bay Company, 

 greatly concerned with beaver -pelts, had maintained a sys- 

 tem of widespread establishments of various sizes in order 

 to keep in touch with ail geographic sources of supply. Its 

 greatest rival, the Northwest Fur Company, directed the 

 bulk of its energy to the same fur. Many Americans entered 

 the trade. A few made a success of it. 



Never has the name of an animal been so honored. It was 

 given to the first steamship to operate on the Pacific Coast, 

 to several towns and cities, to rivers, creeks, lakes and ponds, 

 to waterfalls. The quarterly magazine of the Hudson's Bay 

 Company is called the Beaver, the annual fur sales of the 

 company have been held at Beaver House in Trinity Lane, 



