I am cross-posting this to both the FML and the Fellow Ferret Geeks list
for two reasons.  First, the information can be helpful to both lists and
will reach a wider audience.  Second, it gives FML readers the opportunity
to see some of the types of information which is being shared on the Geeks
List.  Those of you who are on both lists, please forgive the redundancy.
 
One of the "facts" being stressed by the CaCaLand Fishing Gestapo and
Buttercup Club is that ferrets have only been in the USA since the mid
1880s. Ferrets serving in the Continental Navy notwithstanding (*I* have
never personally *SEEN* a source reference on this--just PR stuff--and
would appreciate being sent one if any exists), the oldest references
accepted by those pseudoscientific poop-headed maroons are the Harding
books which date to the late 1880s.
 
Now, we all know ferrets have been around before then, but finding printed
(and well dated/documented) evidence is rather hard to come by. I have
found several references which extend that date back in time to the mid
1870's, and by inference, well before.
 
<BOOK> Coues, Elliott. 1877  Fur-Bearing Animals: A Monograph of North
American Mustelidae, in Which an Account of the Wolverene, the Marten, the
Ermine, the Mink and Various Other Kinds of Weasels, Several Species of
Skunks, the Badger, the Land and Sea Otters, and Numerous Exotic Allies of
These Animals, is Contributed to the History of North American Mammals.
Miscellaneous Publications, No. 8. Department of the Interior; Washington
DC. <END>
 
<NEWSPAPER ARTICLE> Mather, F.  1874  Ferret breeding and handling.
American Sportsman (Nov. 28, 1874). <END>
 
Coues, pp. 153: "...but the ferret is extensively bred, in confinement or
semi-domestication, for the purpose of hunting rats, rabbits, &c."
 
Coues, pp. 154: "This is the well-known tame ferret, now only recognized
in a state of domestication."
 
Coues, pp. 155: "The rearing of ferrets seems to be a growing industry in
this country..."
 
Mather, pp. 155: "I have had several inquiries of late from readers of the
Sportsman concerning the breeding, management and hunting of ferrets...)
 
The implications of these quotes are hard to ignore--ferrets were common
and easily recognized in American Society by the mid 1870s, and by
implication, at least a few years before. The implication comes from the
implied understanding that Coues and Mather were discussing CURRENT
events; there must have been some sort of history which would drive the
date earlier. In other words, if you are already selling ferrets, then you
must have had some years of work prior to that time in establishing the
business (HA! PUN!). Mather's comments in 1874 demonstrate that he was
ALREADY established in breeding and selling ferrets, so the date HAS to
be earlier than 1874.
 
Now, the next step is to find old issues of the American Sportsman and scan
through them for mentions of ferrets (ads, letters to the editor, articles,
etc.) to see if we can document even older dates.  The MU system does not
have copies of this sporting newspaper, so it would be impossible for me to
do this.  Can anyone on the Geeks List check their local libraries for old
copies of the American Sportsman?  (Be careful; what you are looking for
is the newpaper, NOT the various books put out under the same title.) If
anyone can find copies of the newspaper, let me know.  I might be able to
stop and look through them as part of one of my research junkets.  Just
another excuse to look through old dusty volumes.
 
Bob C and 19 Mo' Dust Buckets
[Posted in FML issue 2895]