The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1881-03-31
The Winter Of 1SS0.S1 Compared with
Former Winters.

The winter of 1s42-43 has passed into
the records of Northern Illinois as 1.-the
hard winter" The early settlers of the
northern part of the State remember its
early snowfall. commencing November
and continuing on the 10th; the
pinching cold of the long winter, the
scarcity of food for STOCK, and the loss
of many cattle from hunger and cold,
owing to that scarcity and the lack of
barns and sheds for a protection.
At that time the country was new,
the settlements were sparse, and it was
often miles across the dreary stretch of
snowy prairies between settlements.
The houses of the settlers were many
of them poor and open, without a bush,
tree, or shrub to protect them from
the driving winds and penetrating
SHOWS. Hence that winter has passed
into history. and is now always referred
to as "the hard winter" During that
winter the snow averaged thirty inches
deep. 1t fell before the ground frOze
up, and lay in such a body that the
ground did not freeze at all except in
occasional places. During the snowfall
it piled into great drifts so that it was
even with the tops of the rail fences.
1t then soon froze so hard that it bore
During that winter great slaughter
was made among the deer; men hunted
them with dogs, and the snow being so
hard that it bore these up, while the
deer would break through in trying to
slaughtered without sense or mercy.
In TACT, the forests were cleared of
them.
The next severe winter was that OF
1S4Sr49. The first snowfall for that
winter was. we believe, November 9.
1t fell before the ground froze up, and
lay in such q heavy coat that, like 1872
'43, the ground froze only in spots.
The snow fall that winter averaged two
feet, and furnished most excellent
sleighing. At that time there were no
railroad connections with Chicago, and
the entire grain crop of the Northwest
(Which was then principally wheat) had
to be taken to the lake by teams. That
winter was q peculiarly favorable one
for the farmers. The roads were con-
stantly lined with teams and sleighs
loaded with grain for Chicago or lum-
Der for the interior. 1t was no unusual
sight to see 100 to $50 of these loaded
teams in one line. During that winter
the writer of this article made eight
trips to Chicago. one to Milwaukee, and
one to Littlefort (now Waukegan), ten
in ALL each trip being made with a
sleigh. And it may be OF interest to
state right here that during that winter
the hotel fare along the road for sup
per, breakfast and lodging, and for the
team in the barn and hay (the teamstes
furnishing his own oats or corn), war
ii ty cents. In Chicago, at "uppyty
taverns'' like the fremont and Sher-
man, for the same fare and services it
was seventy-five cents, and at others,
like the Sauganash, Illinois House. Chi
cago Temperance Hotel, and Peck s
West Side Hotel, it was "five
shillings." or sixty-two and half
cents. Many teamsters of those
days will remember the effort of these
latter hotel men, at one time, to raise
the price of supper, breakfast. lodging,
and "hosses to hay" to live and six
pence" or sixty-nine cents, they in
sisting that their accommodations were
worth ''within six cents as much as
taverns like the fremont or Sherman" p"
But the intended combination was
'-busted'' and the hotel mems con-
spiracy was nipped in the bud by the
idignant howl OF the teamsters. who all