| Show The hard winters This article needs no accompanying One only has to glance outdoors to get the You hear people talking all over town and in the media about what a horrid winter we are having this is the worst winter since in appropriate Severe winters are something of a tradition in Ashley Valley and to this year of reminds them of the stories their ancestors told of the Hard Winter of Almost a centennial celebration of nature's The greatest trial the early settlers of Ashley Valley had to face when they came to this area was that hard winter of Several families had come here in the fall of thinking they could be settled on homesteads before winter arrived and that provisions were obtainable that wasn't the The snow came early and stayed Compounding the difficulties of the extra mouths to feed was the fear of Indians since the Meeker Massacre had occurred only a few short months To top that an epidemic of diphtheria had broken out killing As the winter grew deer became scarce and the ones that were killed were in such poor condition that they didn't go very Cattle were turned out to fend for themselves wherever they could and entire herds were wiped Most of the settlers were living together in Old a little north and west of where Vernal stands Other families were scattered out around the Finally things got so bad that the people pooled their meager resources and sent some men with a wagon to try to make it to Green Wyoming to buy A couple of old fellows even donated their pension checks for the general As the situation got the people went on daily One Bill who was a made a pair of great stone burrs for grinding what little wheat and barley was left In the The resulting flour was terrible with all the dirt and such that got in it from this crude but it saved a lot of Those who wouldn't eat it went It was a day when the pioneers anxiously watching the horizon saw the wagon winding its way to the The people had survived and when spring no time was wasted with the planting of life-giving So next time your car won't start because of the think of how much better that is than finding your only horse frozen and starved to And if you have to walk to the store to buy a loaf of be thankful that you don't have to eat some of Bill Reynolds' In some the old are better off not |
