The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1897-02-25
Heavy Shows and Railroads Aban=
dOned==No Trains for Over
Four Months.
FIVE FEET OF SNOW.
Early Settlers Of Hand County Furnish Some Un=
written History--Two Families Still
fere==S1ort or Food.

county who know something about
the winter OF 1SS0-1, OF which the
present one seems to be n repetition.
These early settlers were Charles
Sheppard and family, OF st. Law
renee, and John O'Brien and family,
of Rec Heights, both these men being
section foremeh on the c. K \. W.
road. Their experiences were trying
and interesting, and their knowledge
adds to the history of this section
for a year of which there is no writ
ten recOrd-this paper having start
ed Jan. 4, 1882, one year later than
that of which we propose to now fur
nish at least n partial record, asthat
year undoubtedly materially affected
those following.
This present exceptional winter OF
heavy SHOWS and train blockades is
something never before experienced
by the people of Hand county who
began settlement here in the fall OF
1891. Such a condition, however,
did exist, at least once before, and
perhaps periodically prior to that.
This single known instance "a in
THE WINTER OF 1880 AND 1881,
when this section of the northwest
was covered by All immense fall OF
snOw-which. i'll all probability, is
the direct cause Of the settlement OF
this section ms an agricultural coun-
try. That fall Of snow produced the
moisture which caused the remarka-
bic agricultural returns in all crops
in the years Immediately following
1SS2-3-4. 1t filed all the creeks,
lake beds, and soaked the ground to
the depth of several feet. The soil
being very productive, this moisture
was the one element necessary to
produce great crops that caused peo-
pie to flock to this section and settle
on farms. As is well known, since
then there has been no such remark
able ~crops-nor such Il snow fall an
til the present winter, which APP
proaches that OF 1891, not so gen
eral over the northwest, but along
this division of the {. & n. W. road.
During the summer OF 1SSOthe Wi
mona & st. Peter road, or Dakota
Central, a division of the c. & n. W.
system, was pushed through this
central portion Of the Territory of
Dakota to the Missouri river at
Pierre. In that first year, 1880,
there was
no SETTLEMENT WEST OF HURON,
and these broad prairies were theun-
disputed possessions OF the Indian,
the buffalo, antelope and coyotes.
We will make a single exception to
this statement. There vas known
to be one man and his family in the
Washington hills in southeastern
Hand county. This man ~ called
'''horsethief' Haines. Whether he
really stole horses or whether his
friends Just could not readily think OF
his other name, we are not infofmed.
His real name was Levi ID. Haines,
and what brought him to the Wes-
sington hills long before white man
had any idea of settling here was a
great mystery to the early settlers
OF eastern Hand county for many
years. He was twice arrested for
horse stealing, but was released for
want of conclusive evidence. The
mystery concerning this unique char
acter was partially solved some time
ago by a.iarmer named McNeal find.
ing a copper whisky still that had
been buried in the dry bed OF Sand
Creek, in Rose Hill township, near
the old Haines place. This still is a
complete n for the manufacture OF
whisky, is made OF copper, stands
about three feet high, and has an ex-