Hi friends! Today I am posting the last part of A Home in the Wilderness, which is based partly on a great storm in Wyoming’s history which changed the way the US government dealt with natural disasters. Wyoming is located in the region known as “The Far West.” Its roots are in homesteading, ranching, and rodeos. This is cowboy country.
I lived in Montana for almost 30 years, and have spent the last two years here in Wyoming —in the Far West region. My first winter in Montana was the hardest. We went to Montana straight from Georgia, and before that from Panama, located in the tropics. We faced record cold that year (down to -25 degrees) with wind and deep snows. We wore ski suits over our clothes most of the first winter, and the natives thought it was funny! They were used to the cold. The storm described in this story had temperatures of -10 degrees with constant winds which blew 30-80 miles per hour, making it even more dangerous. I hope you will enjoy reading how my characters dealt with the crisis.
A Home in the Wilderness
Part 4
By Sheri Schofield
We waited for a lull in the storm, but it didn’t come until the storm had blown mountains of fine, granular snow for three days. Everyday Jerome, Steve and my boys tied bandanas over their noses to guard against the snow’s icy granules and bundled up in their warmest clothes to go check on the livestock, holding onto the rope. They shoveled a path between buildings and tossed the snow away from them as best they could, though the wind continually blew more snow to fill the pathway. Steve took a longer rope from the barn and tied it to the house and to the wagon by the barn, this one with no knotted link in it which might become untied in the wind.
“I believe you have a willow tree next to the house, don’t you?” Jerome asked on the second day.
“Yes, it’s a willow. Why?”
“Steve and I won’t be able to return to my ranch when the snow stops unless we have snowshoes. I’m going to cut some willow wands and start making them. Do you have any leather scraps around?”
“I have a cow hide in the barn.”
“May I use it?”
“Certainly.”
Jerome bundled up and opened the side door leading into the back roofed area where we kept the firewood. He grabbed the ax next to the door and disappeared into the swirling snow. I heard a few whacks of the ax. A few minutes later I heard him return.
Shaking the snow from his jacket and stamping snow from his boots, he opened the side door and stepped back inside. Walking over to the wood stove, he pushed the wands behind it where they would warm up.
Later that evening, Jerome tested the willow wands for flexibility. “They’ll do,” he said. “Steve, you and I can work on these tomorrow.”
“Yes sir.”
After breakfast the next morning, the two men began shaping the willow wands into ovals, tied closed with leather. They cut leather strips from the cow hide and began weaving them tightly back and forth across the oval, then up and down. The snowshoes gradually took shape. Surely, these would help the men return to Jerome’s ranch. But would they be able to survive the terrible hike through the snow?
The sun finally came out the next day. The worst of the storm had passed, I thought. But the winds were still blowing fiercely with blinding clouds of tiny ice crystals, though near the cliff, there was some visibility.
After breakfast, Jerome walked over to the radio for news. The storm had indeed stopped. But it was only a temporary reprieve, and the wind was fluctuating between thirty and eighty miles per hour, depending on the location. More snow was on its way later in the day.
“Helen, Steve and I need to get back to my ranch and make sure everything is okay.”
“Are you sure, Jerome? You can stay here until the storms pass. It’s dangerous out there!”
“We cannot give in to fear, Helen. We have work to do—people and animals depend on us. I’ll leave our horses here for the time being. They could never make it through the drifts out there. Some of them are five feet deep. But I’ve got to get home. Just pray for me. With the phone lines out, we’ll need a way to let you know when we reach my ranch. I’ll fire two shots in the air close together when we reach home. Hopefully, you will hear them.”
He turned to Steve. “Let’s go, Steve.”
“Okay, boss.”
Hunching into his coat, Jerome started to button it up.
“Wait,” I said. Going into my bedroom, I fetched a new scarf I’d just knitted. “You’ll need to stay warm.” I wrapped the scarf around his neck and looked up into his eyes.
“Thank you, Helen.” His eyes searched mine for a moment before he finished buttoning up his coat. He pulled his hat on and drew the scarf up over it to tie it down, then wrapped the rest of the knitted warmth around his neck. He pulled on his leather gloves, headed toward the door, knelt to fasten on the snowshoes and picked up his shotgun.
“Wait!” Liza said. “Steve needs a scarf, too. Elijah, don’t you have an extra one?”
“Yes.” He disappeared into the bedroom and returned with the spare. “Will this do?”
“It will do just fine, Lije. Thanks.” Steve tied his hat down with it just as Jerome had done.
Jerome slipped out into the wind with Steve, pulling the door closed behind him.
“Be careful!” I called just before the door shut.
Luke threw an interested glance my way. I caught a slight smile on his face as he turned to help Liza, who had paused in her work at the window to watch the men leave.
“Boys, you’ll have to shovel the snow off the roof so it doesn’t collapse. Liza and I will tackle the chicken coop roof when you’re done. If your fingers and toes start getting cold, come inside at once. I don’t want you to get frostbite.”
“Okay, Mom.”
Donning their coats, boots, mittens and knit caps, they stepped outside to the woodshed and hauled the ladder around to the back of the house, out of the wind.
I put my own hooded coat on. They would need rope. They’d put the extra ropes in the woodshed. I chose two and went out to the ladder. Luke was already on the roof, but Elijah had started up.
“Lije,” I shouted into the wind. “Take these ropes up with you. Tie yourselves to the chimney so you don’t fall.”
It took a while to clear the main house roof, with several breaks to warm their hands and feet. Liza and I had less of a job to do, since the chicken coop roof was smaller. We finished quickly and headed back into the house. Just as we reached the door, we heard three spaced rifle shots in the distance. Jerome had made it safely home.
The boys rested about half an hour. Luke finally stood and reached for his coat again. “Lije, let’s head for the cave and see if the cattle are there.”
I caught my breath in protest, but Luke spoke up. “Mom, it has to be done.” He donned his snowshoes, grabbed his coat, scarf, and knit cap and followed Steve outside.
A half-hour later, my boys returned.
“The stock made it to the cave. We cut the ropes on the haybales and spread some of the hay out for them. If they stay together in there, they should make it through the storm. If we can’t get back, they can get at the bales,” Luke reported.
I turned the battery-operated radio on to learn what was happening around us. The state and federal governments in our region announced an emergency program called Operation Snowbound. Whenever the snow stopped, we were to make big signs in the snow indicating what we needed. Wyoming sent the 187thFighter Squadron to scout the signs, marking the needs on a map. Then the troops went out into the snow with snowshoes on this, the third day of the storm, towing toboggans loaded with food for people in need.
The Civil Air Patrol and pilots living in the area flew food, medical supplies, and doctors to ranches around the state. They flew sick people and others with frozen limbs out to hospitals. It was a comfort to know we weren’t alone in the storm. Our government was focused on our difficulties.
President Truman declared Wyoming, Nebraska and South Dakota disaster areas, opening the door to federal money for survival and recovery.
A few days after the storm began, there was another break in it. I was kneading bread when someone pounded on our door.
“Helen! It’s me. Jerome.”
Liza rushed to open the door. “Come in.”
Steve was right behind Jerome, a toboggan in tow.
“We want to make sure you have enough food. We ate some of your supplies.”
“Thank you, Jerome. But you didn’t need to do that. We were glad to have you here.”
“Nevertheless, we’ve brought extra food.”
Together, my sons and Steve brought the food into the house. Steve propped the toboggan against the outside wall and came in with them.
“How is your herd?” I asked, covering the bread dough and setting it in a warm place to rise.
“Jerome shook his head. “Nine of the cattle made it to the cliff shelter over at my place. I’m afraid the rest were caught in the storm.” He shook his head looking grim. I’m about washed out, I’m afraid.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“How about your stock?”
“They made it to the shelter. If we can outlast this storm, I’m hoping they’ll be okay.”
“Good.” He sighed. “I feel like Job. He said, ‘The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away.’ But I’m not yet to the point where I can say, ‘Blessed be the name of the Lord.’ That’s going to take some serious prayer time.”
Liza brought a plate of cookies over to the table and some cups.
Together we sat at the table.
“I’m so grateful you came over to help us,” I said, looking into Jerome’s face.
“Me too,” Liza added.
“I’m thankful we have a warm house in the storm,” Luke said.
“And thankful for friends who helped us build it,” Elijah added.
Jerome smiled for the first time. “I’m thankful God has kept us all safe during this storm.”
Steve reached for Liza’s hand under the table and looked into her eyes. “And I’m grateful that Liza has agreed to marry me this spring.”
Liza turned scarlet, her blue eyes turned down, a happy smile on her face.
“Whoa!” Luke shouted, laughter in his eyes. “You sure know how to toss dynamite into conversations, Steve!” He sat back in his chair and laughed.
My jaw dropped, but I pulled myself together. “What a delightful surprise!”
Elijah and Jerome were both laughing.
“I meant to ask you first, Mrs. Curtis,” Steve said. “But with everyone around, I couldn’t find a moment alone.”
“I’m happy for you, Steve,” I said. “I know Liza loves you very much.”
“Yes. I do,” she said softly, looking into Steve’s face.
“Well, I guess that means we’ll have to start planning a wedding. That should keep us busy this winter,” I said.
Snowstorms came and went, piling drifts ten to twenty feet deep around the valley. Throughout January, February and into March, government relief agencies and troops tried to reach people, whose homes were sometimes buried in snowdrifts.
Helicopters dropped bundles of hay on fields where wildlife or cattle could be seen and near barns. We were grateful for the help. In our home, though, we had food for ourselves and feed for the livestock. Jerome and Steve came over at each lull in the continuing storms to check on us. We all looked forward to their visits.
Tractors and snowplows tried to clear the roads, only to have the snow blow into the plowed areas. In the end, the snow was so heavy, they had to use dynamite on many of the snowdrifts to break it up and clear the roads. Some of the snowdrifts were twenty-five feet deep. The storm lasted forty-eight days, with temperatures hovering below zero. Through it all, Jerome and Steve came over to check on us every time the snow let up for a few hours. We all grew close as friendships blossomed.
By the time the storms were over, it was March. The radio reported that seventy-six people in the region had died in the storm, some frozen in their cars, some caught out in the open when the storm hit. Many ranchers had lost their entire herds. Wildlife lay dead in the forests and fields, frozen in the snow. It would take years to recover. The states of Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska and Colorado filed for emergency help from the government.
Jerome told me later, “This blizzard was the first time I’ve ever heard of the government getting so involved in this type of emergency. I think this event will change the way our politicians view natural disasters.”
He was right. President Truman organized a federal disaster plan called the Federal Civil Defense Administration. Twenty years later, President Carter established the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Gradually, the weather warmed. The snow began to melt. Creeks overflowed. But we had made it safely through the worst storm we’d ever experienced.
One day when the wildflowers began to bloom in the fields, Jerome came over alone.
“Helen, could I talk you into going for a walk with me?”
I looked into his eyes. “Yes, I would like that very much, Jerome.”
We walked along the bottom of the cliff until Jerome showed me a path to the top. “Let’s go up. I want to show you something.”
Jerome walked ahead of me, helping me up the steep path. When we came out on top of the cliff, I looked around in wonder. There before us stretched a large meadow filled with wildflowers. Blue camas, golden glacier lilies, white May flowers, and pink wild roses.
“Oh, Jerome!” I breathed. “It’s beautiful!”
“I’ve always loved this meadow,” he said with satisfaction. “I never had the heart to use it for pasture, which would have meant destroying the flowers. But I’ve thought of building a small log cabin up here. It would be a nice place of retreat once in a whileeee.”
“Yes, it would.” .
As we stood together in the upper meadow, a soft, spring breeze blowing, he reached for my hand.
“Helen, all through this dreadful winter, I’ve found joy in spending time with you. That has offset the tragedy of losing so many of my cattle. I am so grateful God brought you and your children here when He did. You have made a huge difference to me.” He sighed. “I’m going to have to work hard to build my herd up again, and in time, I’ll do it. I’ve had to let everyone go except for Steve. He’s looking for work in town, but for now, he’s staying.” He paused and looked around the meadow. “I don’t have much to offer you right now, but I have come to love you. I was wondering if you would consider marrying me?”
“Yes.” I leaned against him. “You’ve proven to be my best friend during the storm, and I have come to love you, too.”
His arm came around me and I felt his lips touch my hair. “I guess there will be two weddings this year,” he said.
And there were.
For further reading:
Historical information about this blizzard can be found at the following sites:
The Notorious Blizzard of 1949—WyoHistory.org https://www.wyohistory.org>encyclopedia>notoriousblizzard1949
75 Years Ago, The Blizzard of 1949 Crippled Wyoming https://www.cowboystatedaily.com>2024>02>11
The Worst Blizzard in Wyoming Was The Huge 1949 Winter Storm https://www.onlyinyourstate.com>statepride>wyoming>blizzard1949wy
