Fur Trapper's Journal Donated To Chadron Museum

CHADRON, NE - The grandson of a fur trapper who traveled between Montana and Nebraska in the early 1880s has donated his journal to the Museum of the Fur Trade in Chadron.

James Flaherty's journal tells of his work, the land, the people and the wildlife.

Historian James Hanson says while the 1877-to-1886 period was vital in shaping northern Nebraska and southwest South Dakota, Flaherty's journal is only the second contemporary writings from that time known to have survived.

Flaherty, who became a dentist, sold over 400 pounds of beaver and other furs and paid his way through dental college in his native Wisconsin.