PIT RIVER
Among the many tributary streams that carry the waters of the Sierra Nevada down the western slope into the Sacramento, the Pit, often incorrectly spelled Pitt, is one of the most important, and, although not properly belonging in these pages, is included for the sake of the information to be gained concerning Indian customs.
IN THE HIGH SIERRAS.
“Above the snow line, south from Mount Brewer.”
The natives along this river were in the habit of digging pits near the banks to catch bear and deer, and, on occasion, even their human enemies. The pits were dug in the regular trails of animals, twelve to fourteen feet deep, conical in shape, with a small opening at the top, covered with brush and earth. Signs, such as broken twigs, were placed as a warning to their own people, and sharp stakes were placed in the bottom to impale any creature that might fall in. Another account of this custom is given in Miller’s Life Among the Modocs: “Pits from ten to fifteen feet deep were dug, in which natives caught man and beast. These man-traps, for such was their primary use, were small at the mouth, widening toward the bottom, so that exit was impossible, even were the victim to escape impalement upon sharpened elk and deer horns, which were favorably placed for his reception. The opening was craftily concealed by means of light sticks, over which earth was scattered, and the better to deceive the unwary, travelers’ footprints were frequently stamped with a moccasin in the loose soil.” It was from these Indian pits that the river received its name.