BRAVER IN COLORADO. 



W. H. BERGTOLD, M. D. 



In reading Washington Irving's charming 

 tale of Bonneville's travels in the West, 

 one gathers a fair idea as to how abun- 

 dant beaver must have been in early days 

 in the Rocky mountain region; and too, 

 alas! the same story sadly tells how per- 

 sistently and ceaselessly these most in- 

 teresting animals were hunted and 

 trapped. 



In the game laws of Colorado there is a 

 section which declares that the beaver, 

 among other animals, is absolutely protect- 



among friends, hunters, and on personal ob- 

 servation. What a contrast to the swarms 

 which once peopled our rivers, creeks, and 

 valleys ! 



One finds old dams and houses along all 

 the rivers and creeks leading out on to the 

 Eastern slope, in almost all the streams of 

 the mountain valleys, and on the Western 

 side of the range. I have seen numerous 

 dams and beaver meadows in Routt, Gar- 

 field, and Rio Blanco counties on the West- 

 ern slope ; on the mountain tributaries of 



AMATEUR PHOTO BY G. BICKFORQ 



BEAVER HOUSE. 

 Reprinted by request, from Recreation, June, 1900. 



ed. On first thought one might take this to 

 be a merry jest, for most of us living in 

 Colorado have an idea there are no beaver 

 still existing alive and wild in the State. 



There are, however, a few beaver here, 

 and that law is needful, ineffectually en- 

 forced though it be ; yet the species is, with 

 us, on the verge of extinction. I doubt if 

 there be in the whole State more than 

 1,000 living wild beaver, basing this esti- 

 mate on a somewhat extended inquiry 



the Platte, and on the creeks immediately 

 North, South, and West of Denver. One 

 of the largest and highest dams I ever saw 

 is on a small stream leading into Marvine 

 creek, which has long since been aban- 

 doned. Behind this dam is a large, broad, 

 grass-covered meadow whereon are sev- 

 eral mounds, probably the remains of 

 former houses. 



There are at least 2 places within easy 

 reach of Denver where beaver's work can 



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