Beavers

          In the history of the west some very rugged individuals came west searching for furs and settled in remote places within the mountains.  They were the legendary mountain men of story and song.

            They trapped beavers and for the most part lived alone.  The most famous of the group was Kit Carson. Joe Meek, Jedediah Smith, Thomas Fitzpatrick, and Jim Bridger.

            These men blazed the trails for others to follow west. They supported a huge fur trade from about 1810 to 1860.  Beavers gradually became scarce and silk was replacing beaver fur in the hat trade.

            Mariposa County with Yosemite Park provides tourists with many splendid sights like Half Dome, El Captain, and a number of spectacular falls as well as the beauty of Yosemite Valley.

            Who would believe that still within the mountain shadows there are a few beaver’s busy building dams?

There is  an overlooked sight rare not only in California but anywhere and that is a beaver dam right in Mariposa Creek just a mile or so from downtown Mariposa.  In fact there is actually more than one and they can be seen from Miller Road that meanders alongside Mariposa Creek.  They are best seen in the summer after the spring rains.