The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1916-02-03
TiEEs WINTER MILD
ACCORDING no OLD TIMERS

-A,~tS'hsSI4SN AN S1-D = E-hs w.
Winters of 1893 and 1908 Were
Far Colder-Loss of Stock
Was Enormous.
timers Of this section to read some
OF the reports being sent out about
the cold weather, herds and fiocks
being buried in coulees, deep snow
and all such gush, when in reality
none of the sheepmen are suffering
and, as one of the most prominent
of the fiockmasters stated last eve
ming, he had plenty of feed to last
for many more weeks. No one is
suffering, the deep snow will make
all the more water and this means
continued good times and a bumper
crop in the fall. Beef and mutton
prices will not soar because the
great amount of snow will make the
range so much better in the spring
that there will be any amount of
good fat cattle and sheep to ship out
OF here, which will have a tendency
to lower instead of raise prices.
Speaking of hard winters old
timers will remember the winter of
1908, and those who have been here
the longest will recall the memora-
bic winter of 1898. OF the two the
winter OF 1898 was, perhaps, the
worst, as that was the year the larg
est amount of stock persisted. Cat
tie came into Malta and roamed
around the streets believing for
food, and many Of them froZe to
death standing up in the stock yards
A herd OF antelope was driven into
Malta from out near the Canadian
line and were seen here by many,
mixing with the herds of cattle.
Indians lived high that winter, as
it was no trouble to get beef to eat
whenever they wanted one, and they
did not have to go far to get one,
either. The snow was crusted and
it was impossible for stock to rustic
at all, and what little hay had been
put up by the stockmen did not last
long. One lesson was learned by the
stock owners that winter and that
was to prepare for hard winters, and
they have done SO ever since, with
the possible exception Of 1908.
Those who were here in 1898 say
that previous to that 1886 had al
ways been held out as the coldest
year.
Many here will also remember the
year of 1908, which, while not as
cold as 1888, was, nevertheless, an
exceptionally hard winter and as in
the case OF the other hard winter
mentioned above, the snow was bad
ly crusted and no stock oil any kind
could break through to get any sort
Of nourishment. Men had to be sent
out to cut water holes in the river so
that range cattle could get n1ace
TO drink. Many cattle died and the
loss TO sheep was enormous. All
along the track of the Great North
ern between Malta and Havre, dead
cattle could be seen, and it is an ac-
tual fact that trains had to be
stopped so that cattle that had died
on the track during the night, could
be removed. Sheep ate wool and this
added to the troubles of the flock
masters, as it caused sickness
among the sheep, and what did not
starve died from eating wool
Homesteaders and the people liv-
ing in the great Milk River valley
today may think it is cold and the
snow deep, but what would they
have done in 1898 and 1908 if they
had been here?
! Judge James Wilson came here in
January, 1890. and in speaking of
one of winters mentioned in our
article, he said the flood the next
spring after the deep snow was
something fierce. Milk river over
flowed it's banks and came nearly to
the tops of the Great Northern
tracks, He recalls one amusing in
stance that occurred in May of the
next spring. The water was high
and two men came after him with
saddle horses to come over from his
office on the north side to hold JUS
tice court The judge stood the trip
over all right, on the back of one of
the cayuses, but when it came to the
homeward journey he thought he
would try new stunt. An aband-
oned hay rack as lying near the
railroad, so the Judge got on 1his
and using his slicker for sail had
comfortable journey On the high
water until his own gate post
stopped the progress of his strange
craft, leaving the judge sailing on
the high tide until he managed to
get to shore near the Tucker house.
We suppose that column after
column could be written about the
experiences of the early settlers
here, but suffice to say that when you
read OF 1916 being a hard winter, s"
think OF the stories with a grain of