The Vinita weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1905, 1904-12-08
OXEN BURIED sy slIzzARDJ
Memorable Incident Of the Severe
Winter o. 1885 ON the Mimi
esota Prairias.


A clergyman vouches for the truth o
. story which would otherwise be In
credible. The winter Of 1885 was th'
coldest in the experience of MinnesotI
farmers and the live stock suffered ter
ribly. says the Chicago Chronicle
About mile from the clergyman
house was a piece Of timber He KEEP
ais oxen busy, he says. hauling wood (
his house. The snow lay three feet deep
and the shedding was good. On Jan
nary he yoked his oxen. and, Ia addi'
ton 60 the yoke. used some heavy har'
ness, including thick leather traces. II
was one o'clock when he left home, anC
in an hour OF so he was loading the wood
on the sled. He adds:
Meanwhile a binding blizzard blew
up sweeping over the prairie at the rate
of 80 miles an hour, and piIing up the
snow in drifts from eight TO ten feet
deep AS The winds increased both my
self and my oxen became chilled to the
marrow, and knew that 1t was certain
8eath to man and beast 20 stay out any
longer.
Turning the heads of my oxen home
ward in the very teeth OF the binding
storm | urged them on across the open
space between the timber and MY house.
But oxen, however. willing. are never
rapid and the one mile seemed ten to me
as the heavy beasts pushed onward.
Feeling that should surely freeze to
death in a short time. jumped down
from my load, plunged homeward
through the snow and reached my barn
in half an hour
Il knew that my oxen could feel their
way home. and fully expected them to
appear az my barn by nightfall. II. per-
chance. they were not blinded by the
storr or lost by the increasing drifts.
But night came on and no oxen.
''The storm abated and I started out
with my hired man to ind my missing
cattle and my load Of wood We fioun-
dered through the snow toward the tim
ber. but the oxen were nowhere 10 be
seen. We hunted all night long and
arrived home just in time for breakfast,
puzzled and mystihed. After breakfast
out we started again. helped fhis time
BY some OF our neighbors, but after
fruitless search we come back. van
quished.
NO neighbor had seen the oxen and
their disappearance became the sensa-
lion OF the neighborhood. They had
either been lost for good, frozen 70 death
in the deep snow or else had wandered
OF across the prairie TO some distant
farmers barn. We advertised in the
country papers. ot'er.ng q reward OF
$500 for the return Of the oxen and the
Nood. Ono week. two. three. passed by.
but still no solution
1T was January 81 There had been
a thaw for several days and much OF the
snow on the prairie had disappeared.
leaving only one foot In depth, except In
The deep hollowl OF my ranch. ! was
driving q team of heavy farm horses
over TO the timber to get another load
OF wood. whea. on passing through q
small rayine little 10 one side Of the
ordinary road noticed a movement in
the snow.
Drawing In my relns. | allghted.
Walked about ten feet from ny horses.
and 10. there were ms oxen alive. yoked
together. STANDING IN four feet Of snow
With just enough Il their bodies visible
above the snow 70 make q movement vls-
Ible.
They had besn caught between the
stumps OF two trees and there they bad
been for % days. unable 20 move. and
saved fronl freezing to Death only by the
deep snow that 50 merelfally had eoe-
cred them.
They had eaten everything athlu
reach. ineludins tie leather harness.
most OF the wood 81 ths sled pole. tha
bark OF the tree trun the wigs ard
sticks lying around aaf tire roofs of the
trees % a depth of three feet There they
had stood fof 80 dass They we're living
skeletons. Every bone va sisible Yes
they we're able to wais home. and after
careful feeding for another % DAYS thts
Uere as strong ss ever. and were faith-
ful animals on my farm for ten years
afterwara."