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The John Batchelor Show

S8 Ep658: 3. Leila Philip details the work of Lewis Henry Morgan, who first documented the intricate engineering of beaver dams in the 1860s. She explores the resilient ecosystems of the Lake Superior Basin and the modern American trapping subculture. Philip emphas

The John Batchelor Show

John Batchelor

Society & Culture, Arts, News, Books

4.52.8K Ratings

🗓️ 29 March 2026

⏱️ 14 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

3. Leila Philip details the work of Lewis Henry Morgan, who first documented the intricate engineering of beaver dams in the 1860s. She explores the resilient ecosystems of the Lake Superior Basin and the modern American trapping subculture. Philip emphasizes how trappers possess unique ecological insights. (3)

Transcript

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with Indeed. This is CBS. do it the right way with indeed this is cbs i in the world i'm john bachel with professor

0:43.8

lila philip of the college of the holy cross she teaches in the environmental studies program

0:49.2

and that's what we're talking about the beaver casercanadens, once upon a time, the beavers were as big as bears,

0:56.5

but that's several million years ago leading up until the end of the ice age.

1:01.4

We're talking about the beaver that is recognizable in colonial America.

1:06.3

And now we're in the late 19th century, a man named Louis Henry Morgan in 1855, and then again

1:13.6

in 1862, has converted his obsession from the trout to the beaver.

1:20.6

And he's on an expedition in the Lake Superior Basin to photograph a beaver dam.

1:28.2

Professor, this is a story you can't make up.

1:31.3

Morgan is a character.

1:32.9

What did he make of this beaver dam?

1:35.4

What were his thoughts?

1:37.1

Thank you.

1:37.7

This is one of my favorite sections of the book.

1:40.8

And he is such an amazing American figure because he's such a study in contradictions.

1:48.0

So Lewis Henry Morgan, you know, he's one of America's first ethnographers and anthropologists.

...

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