The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1885-04-10
A WELCOME REFUGE.
An Experience in a Genuine Iowa
.... "Blzzard."

anu sCOppeu QUO evening at a Well-Kept
hotel in Fort Dodge, prosperous and
beautiful little city.
Upon arising the next morning, and
looking from my chamber window, |
saw furious snow-storm was prevail
ing. 1t had ev IDENTIFY been in progress
for some hours, for huge DIR fits were
piled in front of the house, which was
bare the evening before, was now thick
ly covered with the VIII tie drapery Of
WIN er. Driven before strong nd,
ouds of sn wv swept down the street,
aim st yelling the buildings upon the
opposite side from sight.
Upon epairing to t Office, ascer-
tanned that would not be able to leave
the city thai dav, and, in fact, | would
be fortunate if were not detained for a
number OF DAYS. All the railroad lines
were blockaded with snow, and while
the storm continue |, any attempt to
ear them was useless, as the cuts would
fill again at on o.
| found | should have several COM
panions in my enforced captivity. There
were two or ihree commercial travellers
and other persons Ike myself, de-
tanned By the storm. But our situation
was not unpleasant. The hotel was
warm and comfortable; the tabL was
wei supplied with excellent food; and
all we need do was to be patient un il
the storm ceased and the railroads were
again opened.
In our company was an intelligent
young farmer, who had come to town
the day before with carload of Gait e.,
which he had shipped to the Chicago
markets.
A gentleman remarked that he sup
posed the storm was what is termed IN
Iowa "blzIa, d"
TIL young stock-raiser said no. 1t
was m arely an ordinary snow-storm.
Said he:
IF you should be caught, as / once
was, in genuine blizzard, you would
understand what the term really
means. 1t is half u dozen stol ms in
one; the wind is almost as fierce as a
hurricane: the air il so full of snow that
one can hardly sec foot before his
face, and the cod soon becomes so in
tense that life can not be long main
tanned by those expo Ell to the full fury
o the gale. | have seen several OF
tnese pecul ar st rms, and came very
near l. sing my life in one of them"
Being pressed to relieve the t dunn
OF or detention by the relat on of his
story he readily assented.
- en- years ago." he said, ''my faith
er was serving as cashier of bank in
one OF our larger Eastern cites. His
close devotion to business had i'm
pa red his health, AMI lie was informed
by is physic an that he must seek en-
ployment less combining in its nature.
lie had saved suite ent money to pur-
chase a farm, n the followi spring
we remov ID to Iowa and ocated quite
d stance northwest of this city
Land was cheap, and nv father
bought several thousand acres, intend
ing to engage extensively in stock-rais-
ing.
ITO me, just from a city, everything
was strange and interes ing. The
praines, carrettd in living green, and
stretching away in the distance as far
as eve could reach the lntless ex-
panse of earth and sky, relieved only
her and there by growth of timber
along some stream--werr an impressive
sight have never to this day tired OF
the prairie landscape. 1t grows more
be utiful to me with each recurring
year.
AT that time it was the custom to
send vast herds of young cat 10 from
the more thickly-popu atcd portions of
the State to be pastured through the
summer in the region where We had 10.
ca ell. Very lit G land had been im-
proved, most of it being virgin prairie.
upon Nhich the nutritious upland era S
grew luNur antly. Men who made
h riding their business had charge OF
these droves. They came as early in
tn spring as possible, and remained
until the fall froStS had rendered the
her, unit for p1sturage At night
the herders oathe ed the cattle in large
y rds called corrals, witch we made
of posts and fiat rails. The m N live in
SIN IL houses of the rude,t des>r ption
built c'ose to the corrals, where they
cooked the r own food and slept at
night. When they won't away in the
fall. they lift their simple furniture in
their hutS, confident they would ind II
safe Il on tn ir return in the spring.
Tie people were honest in that locality.
Hou eS were too far apart to arrant
tramps in visiting it, aud the value of 9
herdor's outfit was so small as to be
hardly worth stealing.
1t may EN- that am long time
gett ne to my adventure but the facts
n We re ate are neces airy to full IN.
Outstanding of what occ lrred.
81 was much interested in the lonely
life OF the herders, and often visit
them, where l was always welcome.
One Of them, Canadian, who went by
the name of French joe was an in.
tercsting character. Most of his life
h d been spent in hunting and trapping
IN the great Northwest, and his stories
OF ad enture were always eagerly list
encG to by me. He was now an old
man aud no longer fit for the chase; SO
he adopt d the easier and more quiet
life OF a herGer. In selecting place
for his lit house, Joe had en- wise.
1t was situated just at the foot of a
steep bluff, which surrounded it on
three sides, leaving it open to the east
Upon level piece of bolt M land he
had built his ORA, and wide creek,
with steep banks, formed its eastern
boundary. 1t was twelve miles distant
from our place and seven miles from,
tLe.n Arrest house.
In the fall. my cousin, Charlie BRAY
ton came from the East to make me a
vis. He was sixteen years old, an en-
thusiastic hunter and an accomplished
shot, We passed many happy days
hunting, for the country abounded with
small game, and deer were frequently
seen.
Charlie had been with us two months
and was to return home soon, when,
late in November, we started for our
last hunt together. We took an ample
lunch with Us, expecting to be absent
sl day, and hoping to get deer OF