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Show Record the river every much. I do not know. There was a tradition of an Indian trail down the river but not all the way. The Indians had rude canoes to cross the river. I saw no Indians going up and down the river. Kumen Jones testified on recross examination as follows: 417 The Navajos had some very rude canoes, some hollow logs, when I arrived. Sometimes they would tie logs together and make a rude raft to take their wool and skins across. If the Indians did not have anything to trade they would jump in and go across any season of the year and they still do it. The Navajos would tie their canoes to the bank of the river at Bluff and go up and trade and afterwards would go back across the river to their homes. The reservation is right across the river from Bluff. There was not a reservation proper there when we first arrived at Bluff. When I first arrived at Bluff I did not know whether the Indians 418 went up and down the river in their canoes. They would cross, do t their trading and go back. They may have towed a boat up stream for a short distance to get the benefit of the current. There was trapping on the San Juan. One of the old trappers was Peter Bluff. He was the first man I knew. He had a tent at the mouth of Montezuma Wash, which is 15 to 18 miles above Bluff. He did not come down to Bluff that I know of. He moved on 419 up. I do not recall the names of any other trappers. There were some other trappers there. I do not remember of any down the river from Bluff. There were not many fur bearing animals down there, most of them were above Bluff. I think the trappers had boats. When they came down to Bluff I think they came on " Rocky Mountain Canaries", meaning burros. The river does not rise definitely above Bluff. The country has very little fall. The river is not now more or less confined above Bluff. The trappers did not go down to Bluff in the early days. They took their furs out toward Mancos. I could 420 not say how many times I saw them down at Bluff with their burros. |