Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1905-02-22
TELLS OF THE "WErER OF DEEP SNOW. ,
Under Sheriff Dunlap Becomes Reminiscent Con.
cerning Early Stage Days,

/ FRIEND MUNSON: l thought it might
/ be that your readers would like to read
few lines about the winter Of 1S5G57
the time of the deep snow of four feet
| on the level / was driving stage for
Lincoln & Herrick between Viroqua and
La Crosse and carrying the mail for
! Uncle Sam There was no such trav-
cling OF the roads as there is nowadays.
We always had to break out our own
roads / went 20 La Crosse on my reg
ulsr trip with the mail and seven pas
sengers. Ii showed some that day and
night and the wind blew quite gale
and quite cold When got up the next
morning it was still showing, blowing
ana drifting.
/ started for Viroqua on my return
trip with four sacks of mail and one pas
senger, the team worrying their way
through the snow and storm the best
way they could until we got to Mr.. Oh
son s at Coon Valley. There we stopped
and got dinner and then started on our
way rejoicing, Those DAYS we had to
come 10y the way of Coon Prairie and as
we journeyed along through the wilder
nees OF scrub oak and brush, the wind
aud the snow went down through the
brush at the rate of from forty to fifty
miles an hour. 1t was getting then
about three clock in the afternoon and
| said to the gentleman from Maine
How would you like to sleep down in
! there all ntght2' He said he wouldn't
! do it for the whole world.
! We kept on plowing our way through
} the storm and snow until after dark we
/ got into the o. f. Mead's lane, now
owned by John w. Norris. There we
| got snow bound and MI. Mead came and
| helped dig our horses ont. He wanted
us to stay all night, saying we could not
| find the way and would get lost. But
told him we could find the way all
right and turned back TO go through
| che field. ! might have known better
! for 10 showed and blowed so / couldn't
| see a thing.
We got az far as what is now called
| the Lindemann farm, but there we were
| blocked and could not tell which way to
| 20, being al turned around The horses
| were tired out and we unlocked them
and tied them to the sleigh, feeding them
| hay and oats j told my companion we
| would have to dig q hole down in the
snow and pile the big mail sacks around
on the windy side TO keep the cold out,
| and then take some boards / had in the
| sleigh and cut them up and make fire.
/ rhese 1ards were our seats the day be-
ore, for we didn't have spring seats In
| hose days He was scared almost TO
death and said we would die.
1t stopped showing about five minutes
and we saw light quite ways off BE
wanted to wallow through the snow TO
where it was, bat told lim we lad bet
| ter stay where we hal blankets and
robes He said, No, my God, we will
| die herep / said 1t would snow again
| in few minutes and we could not find
any place. Still to please him pus the
blankets and robes on the horses and
| fastened them OF, with the circingles and
lines. As we started ID commenced to
| snow and blow, and we soon lost the
light We tried to follow our tracks
back but soon lost them. Now, my
friend, l said, here Ia where we will
sleep tonight in good snowy bed.
Yes, said be, sometime next summer
our remains will be found here" | be-
gen digging a hole in the snow, for the
wind was terribly cold We got in there
and pushed our feet under the snow. |
tell y0u we were somewhat tired and
both fell asleep.
How long we slept do not know, but
the hole drifting full and unto my face
woke me up Being quite chilly | crawl
ed out and tried to get my companion
mp He wanted me to leave him alone.
saying he was tired and sleepy / told
him TO get up--that he was freezing, but
he wouldn't do it, l grabbed hold OF
him and pulled him ont, but he was not
able to stand mp. / ierked him around
very roughly (seeing had to-, and he
got angry He told mo afterwards he
would have shot me If he'd had gun.
But got him limbered ups he could
help himself Making ring around the
hole we ran about that until we got tir-
ed and would then get into the hole and
rest AS near as we could judge 1t com.
menced sleeling about three o'clock and
our path got very Icy. When day light
came / saw the horses were on one hill
and that we were on another. We were
covered with ice AMI so were the horses,
also; the harness Wa 'rozen in ice and
| one horse was stiff a. q poker. Ii waf
so cold and the snow frozen so hard we
| conld drive any place and not tell where
we had gone over. We got to Viroqua
| early ia the morning. My passenger
took a room in the fremont House and
was five weeks under the doctors care
before he could resume his journey. he
said he owed his life to me and would
| never forget me- He wrote the trip up
for a sper when be reached home and
sent II a copy. That was my worst eX'
periencn in this country.
w. w. DUNLAP.