The Beaver Goes to School

Maybe you knew this, but I didn't. So, I'm sharing it! 

There are 54 high schools, colleges, and universities that use the beaver as their mascot. Which ones can you think of? 

Like most of you I instantly recalled the 2011 Capital One Mascot All-American write-in champion, Benny the Beaver, the "Beav," from Oregon State:  

Beaver with a chainsaw = comedy gold. Photo from the Benny the Beaver official Instagram page: @bennythebeaver 

This makes sense. The beaver is a key player in the history of Oregon becoming a state. For centuries native Americans lived on the land that would become Oregon. The Chinook, Nez Perce, and the Takelma among others. The Spanish and British both explored the Oregon coast beginning in the sixteenth century. In 1811 John Jacob Astor's American Fur company built its famous fur trading outpost, Fort Astoria, near the mouth of the Columbia River.  

Fort Astoria, 1813. The earliest known illustration of Fort Astoria, by Gabriel Franchere, employed by Astor, Courtesy Oregon Historical Society Research Library, OrHi51. https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/fort_george/

The British Hudson's Bay Company officially entered the pacific Northwest in 1821, though fur traders from the company had been working in the area for a long time. All of them were looking for fresh populations of beaver, having devastated the Eastern half of the country.  

Oregon maintains connections with its beaver past. The state animal is the beaver. The reverse side of the state flag is a picture of a beaver:  

Tattoo worthy. Photo credit: the Encyclopedia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-Oregon#/media/1/1355642/282084

Oregon. Is. Beaver country. 

BUT Benny the Beaver is not the oldest beaver mascot in the United States. That distinction belongs to MIT’s "Tim the Beaver.”

"The beaver needs more chainsaw" *chomps cigar* image credit: Mascot Hall of Fame: https://mascothalloffame.com/mascots/tim-the-beaver/ 

Before a brief history of Tim, here is a photo of the costume before it was redesigned in 1998:  

Sheesh....Photo credit: https://www.etiquetteer.com/this-is-robert-talking/2019/3/8/twenty-five-years-at-the-institute (This website is niche and funny, and worth at least click to see what it's about)  

Tim the Beaver is exactly the name I would expect engineers to give to their mascot. Tim was enthroned on January 17, 1914, during the annual dinner of the Technology Club of New York. According to the story by MIT's Division of Student Life, the first feature of the night was a presentation of a " pair of handsomely mounted beavers and the suggestion on behalf of the New York club that this animal should be duly adopted as the mascot of the Institute." The beaver was chosen as the mascot of technology for reasons you could probably imagine. It is a natural engineer and inspires through its industriousness. Another example of the ironic relationship between humans and beavers in this country. The beaver is a naturally brilliant engineer who inspires and who we believe should represent our most prestigious engineering school.... here are two dead beavers!  

Maclaurin accepted the gift of the beavers and ever since the beaver has been the mascot of MIT. The oldest beaver mascot in the United States. Go beavers! 

References 

"Tim the Beaver History." MIT Division of Student Life. Accessed November 15, 2024. https://studentlife.mit.edu/cac/event-services-spaces/adventures-tim-beaver/mascot-history 

"Mascot Database." Massey Ratings. Accessed November 15, 2024. https://masseyratings.com/mascots?m=Beavers 

"Oregon History: Chronological Events 1543-1850." Oregon Secretary of State, Oregon Blue Book. Accessed November 15, 2024. https://sos.oregon.gov/blue-book/Pages/facts/history/chronology-1543-1850.aspx