The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1924-03-13
'WHEM FUEL Famine AND FLOOD
HARRASSED OLD FORT BENTON

| to seven feet in depth. Cattle, deer
antelope, and other unsheltered ami
mails we're frozen to death or per
ished from starvation. Travel be
came impossible.
w. P. Wren, who vas then il
charge of Murphy-Neal Co., in For
Benton, had occasion to go in Jan.
uary to Sun River on business. Or
his return journey by "jerky," as the
two-seated coach running between
Helena and Fort Benton, and some
times on other stage routes, was
called, the driver lost his way, and
for two days and a night wandered
through the snow after leaving Rein
ecke's place, before he reached Fort
Benton with his hungry and half
frozen passengers, they having had
! but one meal during that time. From
Reinecke's to Fort Benton was or
dinarily a journey of less than ten
hours by coach.
1t was not alone travellers who
were sufferers because of the heavy
snowfall; the citizens of Fort Ben
ton found their fuel supply rapidly
decreasing. Wood ros to $12 and
$13 a cord, and soon could not be
purchased at any price.
The situation was the more alarm
ing because of the intense cold that
showed no signs of modifying. Those
who had laid in enough fuel to last
through an ordinary Montana winter
were the most fortunate, although it
was evident, unless there came a
change in the weather, they, too,
would have to utilize whatever would
burn and keep them warm, as others
were already doing.
Wherever possible, several famil-
les went in together and pooled their
fuel supply. Our w small roof
during this period sheltered three
families. The cold being almost i'm
endurabe, the men were compelled to
do most of the cooking for house
hold, as they we're more warmly
dressed than the women. But ever
they could stay but a few minutes
a time in the kitchen that was
built of boards, lined with paper, and
impossible to comfortably heat in
such weather.
Finally our wood gave out, and
we began to tear down u fence.
Others had long before resorted to
all sorts of e~xperients to keep warm.
When everything without doors had
been used, including fences, and
small buildings, furniture was then
broken up and burned. Murphy-Neal
Co. burned a large quantity of rancid
bacon they fortunately had On hand.
How the other large firms managed
to tide over this period is not a mat
ter of record.
Fort Benton was then a military
post, with Colonel Moale, b~rother-in-
law of General Gibbon, in command.
In their extremity, the citizens of
Fort Benton turned to him for relief,
he was only too glad to give
if it lay within his power to do so.
He telegraphed to Washington, ex-
planning the situation, and from there
received permission to share the
large amount of wood at the post
the needy inhabitants-that is
to say, with everyone living in Fort
Benton, for all were fuel paupers.
Scarcely was there a prospect of
the fuel famine being ended, when
the residents of this sorely tried town
called upon to face another
danger, that threatened it's very ex-
A wind came out of the
and within a few hours
he thermometer indicated increased
warmth of over 60 degrees. The
River Press of Feb. 2, 1881, says:
Benton is swimming, water running
n the streets and bitches being cut
o drain it into the. river" The
had arrived and brought
With it real summer weather. The 1
did not disappear gradually,
tut suddenly melting, poured down
he hillsides surrounding Fort Ben
on in torrents of muddy water, COW
ring the sidewalks, and making the
own look as if it were a part of the
liver, which it soon threatened to be-
,ome.
What effect the thaw had Upon the
Dads leading into town can readily
imagined. They were afloat, and
t would be some weeks before they
would be in a condition for travel.
Less wood was needed now the wea-
her was milder, but the stock at the I