The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1896-03-06
THAT WINTER OF 81
Another Old Timer s RecolIec
tions of 1s61-62.
TALK TO ADVERTISERS
A Complete Revolution Devel-
oped in This Branch.

OPSu III Ills DIdHCH.
IA late letter in the 0regonian'
says John Finn, in that paper
"telling about the hard winter o
I861-62 in Eastern Oregon recalled
vividedly to my mind the expert
ence of myself.and family in Walis
Walla during that period. / was
presiding elder of the Methodist
Episcopal church, as well as q
minister in charge, embracing the
whole of Eastern Oregon and Ida
ho. resided within a mile O.
| Walla Walla ON a farm owned
and titled by a Scotchman, John
Moore, by name. We lived in the
same yard, his family occupying a
frame house, unfinished, aud my
self, wife and three children, the
youngest as yet at the breast, living
in the first log cabin built on the
land possessed by my friend Moore
1T began freezing the latter part
of October, and continued to grow
colder till the beginning of the
New Year The snow over the val.
ley was from eighteen inches to two
feet deep. About January 8 the
wind changed from northeast to
south, with fresh, warm chinook,
and all supposed, with the com
mencing thaw, that the intense
cold weather was ended for the
year. But no; our hopes for an
early spring were suddenly blasted.
In "a hours the wind shifted again
to north, with keen, cold, ICY,
freezing resolve, and there it stayed
for the winter and early spring.
The top Of the melted snow was
frozen solid, so that / was unable
to 60 abroad to a distance even to
bury the dead.
wv p in our small cabin of two
rooms. made our family1as comfort
liable as we possibly could, with our
clothing, bedding, carpets and pro-
visions, the last.named consisting
mostly Of some flour. rice, meat
and q short account of vegetables,
such as potatoes, cahhages and
narsnips, These did not hold ont
long II mean the vegetable supply
land the potatoes were all or
mostly all in pits in the ground,
Our beef supply in Walla Walla
soon began to fail, as the cattle
began to perish with the cold, and
remember the gentry or professors
Of the spotted pasteboards took
possession ofthe meat market and
proclaimed a fast till after Lent.
Fowls at that time were scarce and
dear. Like all Of our oonfraternity
! am great lover of chickens,
whether black or yellow legged, so
long as they are plump and tender.
Yet it was halo chicken, duck or
turkey: There was plenty Of NUT
ton, but no sale. Think of Mis-.
sourians or other Western people
eatin woolly sheep. BAIL What
then? Why there was q good sup
ply Of bacon in the market, and
we'll there was, for all communica-
tion with the outside world was
cut off; no boat on the Columbia,
and no wagon from The Dalles. as
| remember for about four months.
ITO render the room comfort
able, that wa lived, cooked, ate and
slept in, we took our carpet, as the
room was not ceiled above, and put
part overhead for Q covering. The
rest we put round the room for an
inner wall. We had no use for our
stove, as we had good fireplace
with open chimney. For wood,
just below on the bottom of the
creek, was plenty Of young, green
birch. 1t was my work, among
other things, to cut and carry, or
snake it out with my pony. All
trees | needed to burn in my fire.
place ! cut in lengths to fit, piled
them on and kept a hot, brisk fire
day and night. We slept OH one
side of the room, near the fire,
cooked what we had to cook at the
open fireplace, and ate it close by
The cheerful blaze. The mercury
fell from 0 degrees above to 35 de.
grees beloY zero. | had q ther-
mometer hanging outside the cabin
door. We consulted it by the day
and hour almost, when il was
freezing so as to make tho house
snap as loud, and sometimes louder,
than pistol shots.
ave kept warm and comfortable
till our provisions began to grow
short. and our money also. Flour
rose to IS sack Of SO pounds,
bacon from Soc to Fl pound, and
some other things in tho Way OF
food nearly equal. But my good
friends at Fort Walla Walla stood
by US, especially DR.. Watkins, who
was then surgeon at he post, and
others Of the officers and men, and