TOLD by the PIONEERS - Washington Secretary of State

Told by the Pioneers
of two miles. 'Vhen I arrived there I found that only one building
had survived the weight of the snow, all the others having collapsed.
Another time, I went to bed when there was no sign of snow. Much to
my surprise, when I opened the door the next morning, I found the
snow level with mv door knob.
•
LETA DICKSOS
Yakima County
The winter of 1879-80 brought privation and grief to stockmen.
The first snow came early. Horses could paw it away and find the
dry bunch grass, which was just like cured hay; but the cattle were
more helpless. A chinook wind melted the snow a little. Then came
the hard freeze. Another snow settled on this crust and thawed a
little and froze another crust. After the third freeze the conditions
were hopeless. Cattle broke through the crust, their legs were cut by
the ice, and then froze standing. When spring came the valley was
covered by carcasses. A few men had saved their herds which were
near the corrals. They broke a trail for the fattest steers, and the
rest of the herd followed. Many of the stockmen went out when there
was a little thaw and skinned their cattle, spreading the hides on the
sage. They salvaged that much, anyway, but that was the end of
stockraising on a big scale. Snipes and Allen lost nearly all of their
immense herds.
JOSEPH P. LEFEr-BE
Spokane Count~·
During the severe winter of 1889-90, I lost about ninety per cent of
my cattle through starvation. They were grazing as far south as the
Snake river. A heavy crust formed on the snow and we were unable
to get them to grass. We had an abundance of feed at our ranch, but
there was no way possible to get it to them. vVe were able to save
almost all of the horses.
•JULIUS C. JOHNSON
Lincoln County •
At the beginning of the severe winter of 1889 and 1890, I had thirty
head of horses and thirty head of cattle, but when the snow was gone
I had only three or four cows and three horses left, as the others were
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