The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-12-29
WINTER Of '89
WAS LIKE THIS
Veteran River Captain Says
This Is Second Warmest
December.
IN STATE SIXTY YEARS
c. ID. Voolfolk Came to Wild
Territory in 1856 by
Steamboat.
N STATE SIXTY YEARS

In the last 80 years there has been
Ut one winter which equals the pres
ont in weather conditions. according to
Captain G.. u. Voolfolk. Captain
voolfolk has been in Montana sinte
ls5f and in all that time. he says, ne
has only once seen weather SO much
like spring in December. That excep :
tion was the winter OF 1889
Captain Voolfolk was steamboat
captain on the Missouri in the early
days, and later worked for the North
orn Pacific railroad. He is now at the
Northern Pacific hospital here. resting.
Just One Winter Like This.
4 have known this country for 60
years" Captain Voolfolk said I'm
that time ! have seen mild winters
and | have seen winters which have
Killed game. cattle and men But
with one exception. ! have never seen
u winter which was more like spring
than this. The exception was in 1883
In that year 7 was surveying for the
Northern Pacific not tar west of here
and | got hold Of a fine little ranch
Here | spent my winter Not flake
Of snow fell till the fourth of Zebra
airy and then il came all in a bunch
When it was through there was an
ls-inch blanket of snow on the level
/ Worked in Shirt Sleeves.
But even then it did not get cold
| remember that while the snow was
still on the ground I used to go about
my work in my shirt sleeves. I car
distinctly remember that ! used t,
keep a bucket of water just outside Of
my door. and in all the time before
50 much as a scum of ice upon thai
water.
Snow Vanishes in Night.
THE snow remained upon the GROUND
until the middle of March. Then came
the best example of a chinook that
have ever seen. The wind started II
the evening. In the morning Is niche.
of snow had completely disa ppeared
on the hills and in the valley there
was not so much as q sign of winter
Only in the higher mountains had thu
snow withstooh the warm wind.
have heard the expression about greer
Decembers filling the graveyards. bu
In that year there was no bad effect
The fears Of winter killed crops an,
shortage of water We're all forcotte,
by the middle of the following sum
mer. The crops We're everywhere
fine
River Captain in Old Days.
Mr.. Voolfolk did not spend his If
all i'm western Montana though he Wis
tied this section of Sthe country otter
He first came west when he was
boy, and has been in this state 70
the greater part of the time since.
Il first set foot in this state in 1889
In that year shipped up the Missouri
to Fort Benton. 1t was my first tril
into the far west as it was thel
called and | liked the life and tn,
country so much that l stuck.
Railroads Killed Business.
Benton has always been about TIN
limit of the navigation in the west
When | started my work on the river
the boats piled between the mouth o
the Ohio and Benton. Then one afte
another the railroads cut down GU
routes. until in 1879 the coming of thu
Northern Pacific made further rive
navigation profitless. You will under
stand this when | tell you that freigh
on one of those river steamers cost .
cents a pound People out here thel
wanted things and didn't care mucl
how much they paid for them. I know
one captain who cleared $4,000 O,
one trip UP the river.
Lonely Trips Then.
lone would not know the countr,
row. | guess. | remember the trip III
solute loneliness so far as white mel
| We're concerned. There was no on,
for hundreds of miles along that river
Even the Indians used to be rare. The,
used to be greatly afraid of the steam
boats. River devils they called them
Ran Into Buffalo Herds.
"Oftcn we used to see herds of buf
falo and on several occasions we rar
into herds crossing the river. Yes
the country is changed from what i.
was when | first saw it,
| Mr.. Voolfolk is - years old. The
greater part of his life he spent oil
the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers
Most of his labor has been done il
the employ of the Northern Pacific
railroad