The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1876-03-24
"sNow-sHoE THOMPSON. >
The Experience Of California Noun
taineer.c

Everybody in California has heard Of
".Snow-Shoe Thompson . the manIs who
has carried the, United States mails over
the Sierras through the storms and snow
drifts Of twenty winters when the mouns
tain passes were only to be trayersed BY .
strong man on .snow-shoes, but very few
probably know his history or the difficult
les and dangers he has, met in the Govern
hlpeHHt lpeaHHtlS tlSerYlce, 7saf ut 9vad liiH Eaa5ugE
| Z, John A. Thompson such is his real
name--was born at upper Tins, PrestUeld,
| Norway, in 1927, q, and is, consequently,
forty nine years Of age. His, height, is
nearly six feet his weight 1S0 pounds, while
he has the blonde hair and beard peculiar
to natives of northern climes,s and "a ypecu-
liarly piercing eye. He came to this coun-
try whensten years of age and settled in
Illinois with his father, and in 1851 he
crossed the plains to California, living first
at Placerville as miner, and then, engag-
ing in ranching at Putah Creek, Sacrament
to Valley, during 1854 and 1856. During
the early winter of 1856 he heard of the
difficulties experienced in carrying the
mails over the mountains, and the early
remembrance of the snow shoes used in his
own country suggested to him that they
could, perhaps be utilized here. He ac-
cordingly constructed pair ten feet long
and four inches wide, upon which he cross
ed the mountains to Placeryille, then the
principal town on the road over which the
| mail was carried. aa 5Qa .sE elEod g1i
| His first trip over the mountains was
made in January, 1856 when he went from
Placerville to Carson Valley, a distance Of
ninety miles, carrying the mail bags strap
ped upon his back and gliding on his long
/ Norwegian snow-shoes over fields of snow
from ten to fifty feet deep. Having sue
cessfully made the trip and returned, he
continued to carry the mail between the
two points all that winter, the weight of
the bags being generally from sixty to
eighty pounds, but sometimes more than
| 100 pounds. The distance between the two
| places-ninety miles-he traversed in two
days on his return but required three days
in going, owing to the great amount of up
hill travel. On his trip he seldom saw a
| human being, as there was not a house on
the route and the entire country was per-
feet Siberia of snow. He never carried
blankets or wore an overcoat, while all his
| food was prepared so that he could eat it
as he ran. For his drink he would scoop
| up handful of snow or take draught
| from some mountain stream. He camped
at night wherever darkness overlook him,
keeping warm through the dreary hours
by blazing fire at his feet, and sleeping
| peacefully upon a couch of hemlock boughs,
and with his head pillowed upon the mail
bags. When able, he camped under shelv-g
ing rocks, and at a place six miles from
| Strawb berry Valley he had a cavern in the
| shape an oven in, which he slept as often
as possible, with a fire blazing at it's mouth.
About Christmas of 1856 he saved the
| life of James Sisson, who had lain in an old
| deserted cabin in Lake Valley twelve days,
with his feet frozen, subsisting ON flour
during all that time, and drew him to
Genoa on hand-sled, where both his feet
| were anputated. Before tie operation
Thompson walked to Sacramento for chlol
roforn. Thompson appeared to be proof
against cold and exposure; he never had
thfli thoafgli camping oht sesefaal
fire, he never suffered any Inconvenience,
but slept as well as usual b3tnaTa 4Hi9t
| He is now thinking Of retiring from the
fatiglling business, and @ petition is, being
circulated by his friends asking the Gov
ernmentto pay him $4,000 for his past
| seryieesra 81 Enas4tuN Iil0aal- 8trHW J.