Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1882-06-12
LETTER FROM MONTANA.
Helena. M. r.. Man 27. 1885

Heten0, III. Il +. NAY II, 1902.
EDITOR MONITOR Il occasionally read
in your paper letters from Dakota. They
always tell of the advantages of the coun-
try. AS lived there nearly two years,
would like to say few words about the
disadvantages. In spring a worse place
for mud, think, would be hard to find
sticky and slippery as grease. Soon warm
weather comes, and with it the mosquitoes,
who demand your attention. Most soft
tiers have screen doors on their stables
others build smudges at night to protect
their cattle from these pests. 1t is COM
mon thing to see column of smoke ris-
ing in front of the house to keep away the
mosquito. This may appear as small
item, and if no disadvantage they are GER
insect has the power and disposition to
make it exceedingly uncomfortable for a
person. l remember particularly one
sultry forenoon when I was on the Gran
din farm that the mules could not be
worked on account of mosquitoes. They
would rise up out of the grass in front of
the teams and settle in clouds on the ami
mails. Mules are generally considered
tough, but this was asking little too
much of even mule. If the sky is clear
the insects usually rise between nine and
ten o'clock, and trouble no more till sun
down. Each summer, of the two 1 was
there, we had a terrific hail storm, break
ing the glass out of all unprotected win
dows. The next day read the following
in the Daily argus: ''Quite lively little
storm we had yesterday" There is
scarcely any timber except a narrow
fringe along the Red and Cheyenne rivers.
There are two rivers called the Maple
and Elm. Where or how they got their
names is mystery to me. 1 have hunted
along their banks for many miles and have
failed to discover tree or shrub on either
side, nothing but stretch of level prai-
| RE. In the fall we have some really fine
weather; the mosquitoes disappear at the
first frost. and everything is nice and
PANo'he' ~ iSh 1ODS5 UcIOIc COlu weather
sets in. Then common thermometer
isn't to be relied upon. Mercury falls
down, freezes up and goes into winter
| quarters. Spirits often show tempera-
| ture of 4S degrees below zero, and some.
| times even more. Then occasionally a
| blizzard comes bowling along, making
| things interesting for few days. 1t is
| sometimes impossible to see across the
street, and it is no uncommon thing to
hear of people being lost and freezing to
| death. On one occasion man was found
within few rods of his doorstep, frozen
stiff. AS you pick up your evening paper
you read, "a little chilly" "quite stormy,
| or, clay aside your linen duster'' Two
years ago last winter, man, his wife
and two children were caught in one OF
these billiards.. The man never was
| found, one of the children died, the other
a boy thirteen or fourteen years old, ha6
both hands frozen so amputation was nee
essary; he can be seen any day selling
papers in Fargo. OF course the countr,
has its advantages as well as disadvan
tages. l admit it is good place to max,
money. With but few exceptions, tn,
1 people have met in Dakota, if they hat
their choice, would prefer living else
where than on an open prairie.
/ E. E. PETERSON.