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Thanksgivings Of The Past


Subdeacon Joe

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Another FB find.  

Rugged men.

Happy Thanksgiving!
ALL FOR TURKEYS RANCHMEN BRAVE BLIZZARD IN A RIDE FOR A FEAST MEMORABLE THANKSGIVING DAY
Anaconda, Nov. 29, 1901—Among a group of old timers at the Montana Hotel last night, the beautiful weather that preceded Thanksgiving day gave rise to a train of thought, the result of which was some very interesting stories of Thanksgivings in the days of the early settlement of the Northwest.
“In the year 1870," said one of the party, “I was a youngster punching cattle in Southeastern Montana. As
Thanksgiving approached the boys began to wonder if there was not some way in which they could secure a change of diet and get hold of a turkey or two, in order that a prosperous year might be fittingly celebrated.”
"So far as we knew there was not a turkey for miles around, but one of the boys said he knew where two could be got. It was a distance of 90 miles from the ranch but nevertheless the foreman started the other fellow and myself after the birds. Prior to that we had been having some very severe weather, and there was considerable snow on the ground, but when we started on our 180-mlle ride for a turkey the sun had turned out warm and everything pointed to a pleasant trip and a warm Thanksgiving.”
"We started six days before Thanksgiving so as to have plenty of time without hurrying. We secured the turkeys and started homeward. On the first day of the return trip the weather suddenly changed. It grew cold and began to snow. My partner said a blizzard was coming up and I did not dispute his word. We began to make tracks toward a ranch about 20 miles distant as the nearest place of refuge from the storm. We were at that time fully 75 miles from our home ranch.”
“As the storm increased our progress grew correspondingly slow and darkness found us still 10 miles from our objective point. We kept on, however, and were making good headway when my partner, who was riding in front, suddenly disappeared as though the earth had swallowed him up. I had just time to be surprised when I followed him and fell into a deep gully, landing horse and all on top of my partner.”
"When we got righted he discovered that his right arm was broken near the elbow. We couldn’t climb out of the ditch so I tied my pal fast to his horse and started to ride down the ravine, hoping to reach some point where we could get out. My partner was suffering from his injury and fainted three times in as many miles.”
"To make a long story short we finally got out of the ditch and found a deserted dugout. There we stayed four days, while the storm raged. When it ceased we had lost our bearings and did not know which way to turn for the ranch. It took us five days more to find the place and by that time we had eaten up the two turkeys we had to keep from starving to death. They were eaten raw, too.”
"Our horses were so weak they could scarcely stand, and the boys missed their Thanksgiving dinner, but my pal and I were glad to get out of it alive. I had set his arm the best I could and it had begun to heal. As there was no doctor to be had, we let it go and he will carry a crooked arm to his grave as a memento of that ride after a Thanksgiving turkey. He owns a large ranch now and I'll bet he has not forgotten his
experience."- The Butte inter mountain Newspaper accessed via https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov
Photo: Two men by the name of Lund and Osmanson ride their horses during a winter of the early 1900s in Eastern Montana. Photo by Evelyn J. Cameron, Courtesy of The Montana Memory Project
Image may contain: one or more people, people riding on horses and outdoor
 
 
 
 
 
 
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