THE GREAT SNOW WINTER OF 1880-1 AND THE GREAT FLOOD OF
1881--BUILDING A BOAT
We have already referred to this winter of 80-81 as the terrible snow
winter. May we add a few words on that in order to understand what
followed in the spring.
The snow, a three days' snow storm or blizzard, came on October 15th,
and the snow never left, but kept piling up without thawing out to any
extent until April. Railroad connection with the outer world, as far
as the few towns in the state were concerned, was cut off, completely
in many instances, after the 1st of January. This, of course, made
coal as well as other provisions unobtainable in many cases. The
people in some towns, as for instance Watertown, had to take what they
could find to preserve life. So many empty buildings and other
property made of wood were taken for fuel.
In the outlying country places the settlers could not get to them,
even when some provisions were available. In not a few cases, too,
there was nothing to sell and no money for buying. So barred by one or
all of the circumstances, the settlers had to get along and try to
preserve life as best they could. As for the few groceries which they
might ordinarily have used, they dispensed even with them for the most
part. Many lived on corn meal, ground on the coffee mill. But there
was one privation which for many proved the "unkindest cut of
all"--tobacco. Many and sore were the lamentations because of the lack
of this one commodity and many the devices to get it. A man can live
without coffee, sugar and wheat-bread, not to speak of less necessary
things, but tobacco--well, you can't do anything more to him after
that.
As can easily be seen, when this vast quantity of snow began to go
out, especially going out so late in the spring, it created a flood.
Every creek became a raging river, the rivers became more like vast
moving lakes. So if communication with towns had been difficult before
it became well nigh impossible now. The whole Missouri bottom, for
instance, became one vast and roaring sea, coming up to the bluffs of
the present Mission Hill and Volin. But yet, can such a little thing
as fourteen miles of roaring water and floating debris stand between a
man and his tobacco, or a woman and her cup of coffee, especially when
the latter is the only thing approaching a luxury that she has? No! By
the shades of all our Viking ancestors, No! After looking over their
possible resources of men and materials for the undertaking of defying
the angry flood, they found that Ole Solem, who then lived on Turkey
Creek, had a few remnants of lumber. They also found that Anders Oien
had had a little experience in boat building, and Ole Johnson was an
ex-fisherman and thus could row a boat if they had one. So with the
help of those mentioned and others, such as Ingebricht Fagerhaug, who
was a carpenter, and Steingrim Hinseth, the boat was built. It was
crude, of course, and leaky, yet counted seaworthy because the
situation was getting desperate. It should be said in fairness that
mere personal and private needs were not the only motive with these
men. For instance, some of the leaders of this enterprise, like Solem
and Fagerhaug, had no need or use for tobacco, but needing other
things and realizing the general needs they joined with heart and
hand.
When the craft was finished Steingrim Hinseth hauled the boat and the
men, Ole Solem, Ingebricht Fagerhaug, Thore Fossem and, I believe, Ole
Johnson, to the foot of the bluffs, a couple of miles northwest of
Volin, where the boat was launched. The cargo was all that the little
craft could carry, consisting of very many different parcels of butter
and some eggs. These, belonging to many different parties and being
the only things they had to sell, were to be exchanged for a few
necessities such as mentioned above.
When the cargo was all in and the crew embarked there was about two
inches left of the boat above the water line and the boat a little
leaky besides. But with true Viking spirit they struck out over the
twelve or fourteen miles of angry flood towards Yankton. There they
were able to do the necessary shopping for the whole neighborhood, and
in three days from the time of starting they were back without mishap
and all errands carried out. It goes without saying that they were
welcomed by the many expectant ones in the whole neighborhood and that
there was great rejoicing on the part of both men and women, for the
women got their coffee and the men got--well--whatever was coming to
them.