A Trapper Walked Into the Snow and Never Came Back
William McKeiver’s cabin was found in good order, his rifle untouched, and his diary blank since November. Cougar tracks circled the traps.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
CHELAN, Jan. 2.—Special.—William McKeiver, of Stehekin, has apparently met his death either in a snow-slide or by freezing. He made a camp at the head of the Stehekin river early in the fall, with the intention of trapping during the coming winter. McKeiver was to make one trip to the head of the lake for provisions about December 1. Not being heard of for some days after the appointed time, his friends concluded to make a visit to his camp, a trip of twenty miles, on snowshoes. Upon arriving they found his cabins and outfit in good order, also his rifle, but, as the fresh snow was quite deep, no sign of him or his traps could be found. A diary was found, but no date had been kept since the first quarter of November. Cougar signs were plentiful around his line of traps and cabins, and it is more than likely that his body will never be found.
“A diary was found, but no date had been kept since the first quarter of November.”
McKeiver’s disappearance is a reminder of how isolated and dangerous the North Cascades were for the people who worked them. The diary that stopped in November and the body never recovered are the kind of cold case the wilderness still keeps. Today’s search-and-rescue and trail culture grew out of this same terrain.
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