Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1885-04-10
A WELCOME REFUGE.
An Experience In Genuine Iowa
blizzard"


and stopped one evening at a well-kept
hotel in Fort Dodge, a prosperous and
beautiful little city.
Upon arising the next morning. and
looking from my chamber window,
saw n furious snow-storm was prevail.
ing. 1t had evidently been in progress
for some hours, for huge drifts were
piled in front OF the house, which wa.
bare the evening before, was now thick.
ly covered with the white drapery ol
winter. Driven before strong wind
c.oudS of snow swept down the street,
alpOst yelling the Buildings upon the
opposite side from sight.
Upon repairing to the Office, ascer-
tanned that would not be able to leave
the city that day, 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 continued, any attempt to
Gear them was useless, as the cuts would
fill again at on Q.
panions in my enforced captivity. There
were two or three commercial travellers
and other. persons like myself, de-
tanned by the storm. But our situation
was not unpleasant. The hotel was
warm and comfortable; the table was
well supplied with excellent food; aud
all we need do wds to be patient until
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 cattle,
which he had shipped to the Chicago
markets. 80 .- -.
A gentleman remarked that he sup
posed the stormvwas what is termed in
Iowa a ''blizzaid." b
The young stock-raiser said no. II
was merely an ordinary snow-storm.
Said he:
''H you should be caught, as | once
was, in genuine blizzard, you would
understand what the term really
means. 1t is half dozen storms in
one; the wind is almost as fierce as q
hurricane: the air is so full of snow that
one can hardly see a foot before his
face, and the cold soon becomes so in
tense that life can not be long main
tanned by those exposed to the full fury
OF the gale. l have seen several of
these peculiar storms, and came very
near lc sing my life in one of them"
Being pressed TO relieve the tedium
OF our detention by the relation of his
story, he readily assented.
''Ien years ago." he said, "my faith
er was serving as cashier of q bank in
one of our larger Eastern cities. His
close devotion to business had i'm
pa red his health, and he was informed
by lis physic an that he must seek en-
pfoyment less confining in its nature.
he had saved sufficient money to pur-
chase farm, ;ni the following spring
we removed to Iowa and located quite
a distance northwest of this city.
Land was cheap, and my father
bought several thousand acres, intend
ing to engage extensively in stock-rais-
ing.
ITO me. just from city, everything
was strange and interesting. The
praires, carpetod in living green, and
stretching away in the distance as far
rs eve could reach the limitless ex-
panse of earth and sky, relieved only
here and there by growth of timber
along some stream--were an impressive
sight have never to this day tired of
the prairie, landscape. 1t grows more
beautiful to me with each recurring
year.
cat that time it was the custom to
send vast herds of young cattle from
the more thickly-popu ated portions of
the State to be pastured through the
summer in the region where we had To-
cateL Very little land had been i'm
proved, most of 1t being virgin prairie,
upon which the nutritious upland gra IS
grew luxur antly. Men who made
herding their business had charge of
these droves. They came as early in
the spring as possible, and remained
until the fall frosts had rendered the
heritage unit for pasturage. At night
the herders gathered the cattle in large
yards. called corrals, which we made
OF posts and flat rails. The men live in
small houses of the rudest description
built close to the corrals, where they
cooked their own food and slept at
night. When they went away in the
fall, they left their simple furniture in
their huts, confidant they would lind it
safe upon their return in the spring.
The people were honest in that locality.
Houses were too far apart to warrant
tramps in visiting it, and the value Of q
herdor's outtir was SO small as to be
hardly worth stealing.
1t may seem that am long time
getting to my adventure, but the facts l
have related are neces airy to full un-
derstanding of what occurred.
al was much interested in the lonely
life of the herders, and often visited
them, where l was always welcome.
One of them, Canadian, who went by
the name Of French Joe,' was an in
teresting character. Most of his life
had been spent in hunting and trapping
In the great Northwest. and his stories
OF adventure were always eagerly list
ened to by me. He was now an old
man and no longer fit for the chase; so
he adopted the easier and more quiet
life of q herder. In selecting place
for his little house, Joe had been wise.
1t was situated just at the foot of a
steep bluff, which surrounded it on
three sides, leaving 1t open to the east
Upon level piece of bottom land he
had built his corral, and a wide creek,
with steep banks, formed its eastern
boundsry. 1t was twelve miles distant
from our place and seven miles from
the nearest house.
" In the fall. my cousin, Charlie Bray
ton, came from the East to make me a
visit. He was sixteen years old, an en-
thuslastlc 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, whom,
late in November, we started for our
last hunt together We took an ample
lunch with us. expecting to be absent
AZ day, and hoping 70 get deer OF