I know.
I heard that from an old man named Ripplinger. He was editor of our town (Logan, Utah) paper when I was a kid (about 1952-1958), and the first mountain man I ever knew. He wore hand made buckskins, shot a flintlock long rifle, made his own knives and hawks, and told school kids, Boy Scouts, etc about the history of the country, especially the early Rocky mountain era. That was one of his explanations.
I wish I'd taken better notes when he (and maybe a hundred other old timers I've known down the years) talked about everything from banking a fire to knapping flints.
20/20 hindsight is a useless thing.