Boy Scout presentation by Wilbur Sweet
Troop # 848, Las Vegas Area Council, weekly meeting was held at the Community Lutheran Church by Doug Nance, assistant scout master BSA 848. The meeting was attended by 40 scouts, parents, and scout leaders. A 1-1/2 hour presentation put on by Wilbur Sweet ("Walking
Beaver") about the history of the fur trade in America, primitive skills and tools of the 1805 - 1840 period in the Rocky Mountains. Beaver trappers, flintlock and percussion rifles and pistols, along with modern trapping and fur bearer management were discussed. A beaver pelt on a willow hoop was used to illustrate the importance of beaver pelts from 1640 to 1840 in the exploration of the North American continent. Fur trappers were the cutting edge of this rapidly advancing civilization. In recognition of the 200 year old legacy of the trapper in the west, John Colter's (1775-1813) life was reviewed. He was a member of the Lewis and Clark expedition 1803-1806, probably the first mountain man (1806-1810), and discovered what is now Yellowstone National Park. He is best remembered by his escape from the Blackfoot Indians who stripped him naked and made him run for his life. Materials on fur bearer management and trapping were provided by Fur Bearers Unlimited, National Trappers Association, and the Arizona Trappers Association. All scouts, parents, and troop leaders received a copy of the NTA "Trappers Handbook" compliments of FurBearers Unlimited and were invited to attend the next annual ATA convention in Globe, AZ and take the Trappers Education Course. The scouts found the ATA animal tracks and droppings handout of particular interest. This troop is unique in that it specializes in primitive camping and outdoor skills, attending rendezvous events and competing in events such as hawk and knife, fire starting, and trap setting. Probably the high lights of the presentation, judging from the response of the scouts, were the demonstration of "flash in the pan" and lures and scents...a reproduction (filled) wooden willow bottle of castoreum used during the fur trade, and LDC (Long Distance Call). It is planned to take some of the scouts and troop leaders into a Nevada wilderness area on a future outing and demonstrate primitive camp, survival, and trapping skills in an area where beaver and predators still abound.
