Thar Floats My Stick

by Jon Burch Photography

Title

Thar Floats My Stick

Artist

Jon Burch Photography

Medium

Photograph - Digital Capture And Enhancement

Description

"When a beaver is first ketched he strikes for deep water," said Joe. "Ef'n yo' keep him thar, he'll drowned shore. But ef'n he kin git out on the dry bank he'll git away."
In a few spots the water was too deep for this expedient. Joe ran the chain out toward the middle just the same' but attached to it a float stick to mark its position. For the first time Andy understood the significance of the figure of speech he had so often heard - "my stick floats w'th yours'
there floats my stick."
"That's all there is to this trappin business" said Joe. "Simple as all git out - once you larn the habits of the critters."
From "Tales of the Mountain Men" by Lamar Underwood

Mountain men were most common in the North American Rocky Mountains from about 1810 through the 1880's. Approximately 3,000 mountain men ranged the mountains between 1820 and 1840, the peak beaver-harvesting period. While there were many free trappers, most mountain men were employed by major fur companies.

In the early 1800's, Colorado was an unknown expanse of wilderness. Adventuresome beaver trappers and explorers explored its valleys and forests, established forts, encountered American Indians, and drew the first rough maps. It was not gold that originally brought the first visitors from the East coast to the Rocky Mountains in the early 1800's; it was fur.

The high fashion of the day, beaver fur hats, created a demand for beaver pelts. In the 1830's, more than 500 trappers roamed the Rockies trapping beaver, selling pelts for $5.99 a pound in Philadelphia. Trading posts were located on the Arkansas and South Platte Rivers to facilitate the trade in beaver pelts and a burgeoning trade with the Indians for buffalo robes.

This section of the Big Thompson River in Northern Colorado appears to be just about right for an enterprising fur trapper to ply his trade and float his stick - and, wade in the cold water...

Some digital effects were applied to the original image after the photograph was made. No electrons were harmed during the transition. Ordered images will not contain the FAA watermark.

Image copyright 2016 Jon Burch Photography all rights reserved.

Uploaded

April 24th, 2016

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