The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1931-05-01

furs used to reach the New York fur
market from the trading post at Sault
Ste. Marie, although most of the furs
were brought in from Canadian trap
pers and not from Michigan territory.
:" In the early days of exploration
said Yost, "a trading post was estab-
lisncd at, Sault Ste. Marie. Many
wolverine furs were shipped to the
New York market from this post. A
large proportion of these furs were
supplied by Canadian trappers, al
though Michigan had wolverines at
this time. AS the result of these large
shipments of wolverine furs, this ter
ritory came to be associated with VOL
verines and eventually the state came
to be known as the Wolverine state
"This explanation does not coincide
with the theory Of A. D. P. Van Buren,,
in volume five Of the Michigan Pioneer
Historical Collections published in 1884,
but DR.. Norman Wood Of the univer-
sity museum faculty, who co-operated
with Yost in his search for living
wolverines in the state of Michigan,
declares that the second explanation
is not at all plausible.
ivan Buren's explanation holds that
the appellation, Wolverine state came
about as the result of an incident which
occurred at the old Ten Eyck tavern
at Dearborn. A party from Detroit
stopped there one day and were served
wolf steaks, his story relates One
Of the men facetiously remarked, We
have eaten wolves; we must have the
appetites of wolverines The story
spread, Van Buren, says, and the name
came 10 be applied to the natives of
Michigan.
"Game wardens, trappers, and fur
dealers were called upon to aid Yost
in his attempt to learn whether the
wolverine is extinct in Michigan. With
two exceptions, these men supported
the findings expressed by DR.. A. G.
Roche, of Calumet, who wrote: I
waited to look this matter up pretty
thoroughly. I have seen practically all
the game wardens and hunters in these
parts and not one has ever seen a
wolverine up here"
Mr.. Yost's inquiry was made during
his quest for a native Michigan VOL
VERNE to be used as a mascot for the
Michigan athletic teams, quest which
was unsuccessful.
In contrast to the wolverines"
the "Gophers," the Badgers" and the
"Hawkeyes" which symbolic the
state, it's inhabitants and it's univer-
sity teams, there are states in which
all three are vastly different. South
Dakota is the Sunshine state but it
has an animal symbol-the coyote
and South Dakotans and the athletes
of its state university are known as
Coyotes" Louisiana is the Pelican
state but its inhabitants are more
widely known as "Creoles" than they
are as "Pelicans" For the chances
are that mention Of the latter word
instead of painting word picture of
/; state. will more likely result in
there being quoted the famous jingle
about:
A wonderful bird is the pelican
It's neck holds more than it's belican;
1t can hold in it's beak enough food
for week
But I don't see how the helican.
The largest state in the Union is
"alled the Lone Star state but it has
a symbol which never fails to bring
to mind instantly the name of Texas.
kicked like Texas steer" and wild
as a Texas longhorn" are SMILES
which are part of our everyday Ian
guage, so the ideas Of Texas and
longhorn steer are inseparably linked.
1t is wholly appropriate that this ami
NAL should be the symbol of Texas for
upon the vast cattle trade which be-