Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-01-21
LAST HOME OF THE BEAVER.
4 Canon That is Supposed to Contnin
Big Colony.

From the Chicago Times Herald. -,,5
So far my knowledge extends there is
but one readily accessible place in the
United States wherein the trapper may pur-
sue his ancient and honorable art with
profit and without disturbance by the
snorting locomotive, the inquisitive gov
eminent agent, or the interfering farmer
Civilization has SO far extended its lines
and its nuisances that he Is fortunate
man who is able to find primeval nature
and a sensible man who keeps his knowl-
edge to himself. 1 have never met a trap
per who was willing to betray his favor
lite ground to any one other than a brother
of the craft, and only then when under
the loosening influence of any quantity of
fire water. The place I have in mind is
the Rio Grande canon. There the land
and the water and the air are as God made
them, and they will remain unaltered for
many and many a year to come, 1 hope.
OF course there are streams here and
there wherefrom an occasional beaver Is
taken. By searching diligently in the mar
ketS you will run across an otter skin
that is new now and then. Minks. which
are prolific animals. are taken always and
at all seasons in many sections OF the
country. There Is no money now. however
in pursuing the beaver and the otter; no
money, that is. anywhere save in the canon
aforementioned. Here and there in the
mountains of the south, especially In Ar
kansas men sometimes take offers. There
are not enough of the animals to make
their special pursuit paying one. In the
canon of the Rio Grande, however, the
beaver and the otter still exist In large
numbers. They have been but once dis
turbed. Probably 1t will be long before
their baiiiwicks are again invaded.
The Rio Grande canon begins eighty
miles south of Ell Paso and ends sixty miles
above Eagle Pass. 1t is approximately 800
will 10,,r N,o 70 q mo a
nation, because. singularly enough, it has
never been surveyed by the nearly ubiqui-
tous government engineers who have been
everywhere else. Away back in the early
fifties there was a government expedition
which made pretense OF surveying 1t, but
the work was only pretense. They did
rot go into the canon itself, except at one
or two places where it may be entered
from the outside, but contented themselves
with claiming a course parallel to 1t and
high up on the tablelands. far below which
1t runs it's tortuous course downward.
Until 1889 practically nothing was known
of the interior of the canon. In that year
three trappers from the lower edge of west
ern Canada appeared at Ell Paso. They
built three small, strong boats, loaded them
with supplies, weapons and traps and drift
ed down the river. They gave the names
of Pierre Bauduy, Alphonse Pichot and Ed
Guard Coco The current swept them be-
tween the dark jaws Of the canon two
days later, and for four months there were
no ddings of them
AT the END OF that time Bau0uy, VINO. was
dark-featured, taciturn man of forty
years, appeared, drifting down the river
above Eagle Pass. He had one boat in tow.
He landed at the frontier town with one
rifle, no clothing, except that which he
wore no traps, no food and 400 beaver
skins, which he sold on the spot for Sc
apiece. Two days later he disappeared into
Mexico and has not since been heard from.
The British consul at Piedras Negras,
across the river, became inquisitiye and
asked too many questions for Bauduy's
comfort, so he went away.
He said that the canon contained many
rapids and was dangerous in the extreme
They made quiet drifting of 1t for three
days and then came within hearing of the
first one. The walls Of rock fell GOO feet
sheer down to the waters edge, and they
could not land to make survey Of the cur
rents or try q portage. Trusting to luck.
they endeavored to shoot it. The fall was
some twenty feet in height and q half mile
long, filed with rocks and very turbulent
and he was drowned The next day Bau-
duy and his companion made camp upon a
narrow sandy ledge and began trapping
Just above deep, still pool. They were
very successful, but exhausted the neigh
borhood in three weeks time and went on.
Other rapids were struck. but passed In
safety, until q point was reached which
he estimated was about middle way Of the
canon. This cataract he described as q
miniature Niagara having fall Of forty
feet In hundred yards. They were swept
into 1t 1s they rounded q bend Of the river
and had no chance to stop, although there
was footing upon the bank on either hand.
Pichot lost his balance while standing In