The beavers had made the pond in the first place. Here in a hidden valley, where a small stream wandered through a grove of aspen trees, the beavers built a dam. With their sharp teeth they cut down young aspen trees to eat the bark. Then they dragged the trunks and branches to the brook for the dam. They criss-crossed the sticks just so, and plastered them over with mud and stones to hold back the rushing water of the stream. - p. [1].