The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-01-17
CHAMPIONS RECORDS
OF LONG AGO
JUDGE r. n. WOODY SAYS RE-
CENT COLD WEATHER DOES
NOT CLASS WITH CO.'S.

In speaking of the cold weather
Judge F. H. Woody has the following
to say:
THE Muscular, in it's recent is
sues, has been claiming that now the
tenderfoot of six months residence
knew as much about the climate, the
winters and the floods, as the old
timers, and that the old timers would
have to take a back seat. Now that
is all bosh.
| Our recent snowstorm and cold
snap has been reported as being a
terrible blizzard, one of the worst ever
| known in the country. The fact of
the matter is, we had no blizzard
We had two days, on the 5th and 9Th,
when the wind blew quite hard, a lit
tie cold weather but at that time
| there was not enough snow blowing
to make drifts 1t is true we have
had heavy fall of snow. and as much
snow as I ever saw fall at one time
but when they say this is a hard win
| ter, and one Of the worst we have
ever had, it is not correct We have
had many winters that We're far more
severe than the present one.
| Commencing with the winter Of
1861 and 1862, will tell you something
about the SHOWS and cold weather.
During that winter we had as much
or more snow than we have had up to
the present time this winter although
it did not all fall at one time. And
talk about your cold weather! We
|
at that time living at He'll Gate,
about four miles below Missoula and,
while we had a small thermometer,
the mercury went out of sight and
we never knew just how cold it really
was.
| "The severe weather commenced
about Christmas and lasted until
spring. On the flat between Missoula
and He'll Gate the snow lay on the
ground, six or eight inches deep, until
about April 10, in the year 1862. At
that time Captain Grant was living on
Grant creek, and had about 100 head
Of cattle. He and his family. in the
| fall of 81, went to Walla Walla for
| the winter. where he and one of his
daughters died. He left his cattle in
charge of two Snake Indians he had
brought with him from Fort Hail.
| They prepared no feed for the winter
as the country had a good supply of
grass, and they supposed the cattle
| would winter all right. But snow
| fell very deep and then crusted and
the cattle could not get to the grass,
and We're driven down into the river
bottom, in back Of where Sidney
Mitchell and Lowney are now living.
All they had to eat was willows and
brush and they finally all died before
spring. That was a winter to talk
about and make the Pilgrims shud-
der.
Captain Mullan was at that time
building the Mullan wagon road, and
had his winter quarters on the other
side of the Blackfoot. where Finn
town is now located. He built the
grades up the canyon and put in some
bridges. Sometime during the winter,
| Charlie Schaft, who died some years
ago in Missoula, and is well remem
bered by some of the early settlers,
attempted to go from Mullan's winter
quarters up the canyon, where some
of Mullan's men were in camp, and
while doing so froZe both of his feet
He was taken back to Mullan's camp,
where DR.. Hammond, a government
surgeon, amputated both legs below the
knees.
The next severe winter we had was
| the winter of '65 and '66, the cold
| weather commencing just before
Christmas. Snow fell very deep and
| the weather was extremely cold, so
cold that the river at Missoula must
have been frozen nearly to the bottom
for in the beginning of April, 1866, l.
| J. P. Reinhard and others went skat-
| ing at a point on He'll Gate river
| just below the point of the island
and the ice remained there for some
| time longer. On the 18th of March,
| 1866, the thermometer stood 80 below
| zero, record being kept for many
years by Mr.. Renhard.
THE next real severe winter that we
! had was the winter of sc and ST.
| About the last of January snow COM
menced to fall and it showed for sew
eral days. 1t was extremely cold and
| a severe blizzard ragged for three or
| four days. The railroad between Mis-
soula, Deer Lodge and Helena was
| blocked for number of days. I do
not remember of any record being
kept of the intensity of the cold, but
| 1t was very much colder than any
| weather we have had so far this win
| ter.
During that winter something hap
pened that l would be loath to tell If
did not have witnesses, who know
the story to be true. Matt Coleman,
| who lived on the other side of the
| fair grounds, came to town one day
and reported an unusual fall of snow
down there. nearly opposite the
place where the Missoula cemetery
is now located. and said that snow
| flakes as large as a mans hat had
| fallen. The story seemed incredible,
but two or three Of us went down
and examined the snow that was on
| the ground. 1t was very soft, and
we found a strip or belt, where
these flakes had fallen. Some of them
appeared to be at least IL inches in
diameter and circular, and had i'm
| bedded themselves two or three inches
| in the snow already on the ground.
There seemed to be a belt of these
| large flakes that came from the
southwest. extending towards the
| northeast. l can corroborate this by
tba cto &c ,,,a1a lx, Johp pioh