Fond Memories Of Cold Snow

Hello Folks! Just a year ago we visited Virginia City, Montana. I hadn't heard of the place before, so I wasn't too excited about going there, but this was our vacation and it was hot in the Gallatin Valley where we were staying with my in-laws. We left early one morning. As we looked westward we could see snow capping the mountains over which we were to pass. With the temperature over 90 degrees in the valley it would seem good to throw a few snowballs.

Virginia City is not on a main highway. We left No. 10 and took state highway 34. It is a new road and very good except for a few miles that is rough and gravely. As we climbed the mountain range the temperature became very comfortable; finally we even rolled up the windows. We got very close to the snow but didn't get to throw any snow balls.

Virginia City lies right in the heart of the Rockies. A gulch goes right through the town along side the street (there is only one street). The sights we were to see that day I will remember for a long time. Virginia City has a fabulous history. Silver was discovered there is such quantities that is became a boom town and, at one time it was one of the largest towns in Montana and its capitol. As happens in any boom town prices were exorbitant. Most of the equipment and clothing had to be shipped be stage over poor roads from Salt Lake City, 300 miles away.

Most of the mining was placer or surface mining. Huge equipment was moved in to do the work. The results of the big machinery is still evident as whole hillsides were moved to get at the silver.

A brewery was built and was the next largest industry. A theater was established and New York players were engaged to perform. Of course when the silver gave out everybody got panicky and the town was deserted overnight. Values dropped to nothing and nearly everything left as tho the proprietors had just stepped out for lunch. Hauling costs were too high to warant moving anything out. I'll tell you more about Virginia City next week.

—o—

"Why won't you marry me?" he demanded. "There isn't anyone else is there?"

"Oh Edgar," she sighed, "there must be."

—o—

Sometimes we hear the argument that our surpluses are not so high and that we should prepare for famines just as the pharoah of Egypt did under the direction of Joseph. I think it is a good idea to follow good examples whenever and wherever possible, but we should also analize the conditions and determine whether they apply to us or not. For one thing today we have swift means of transportation, we have knowledge of the use of soils, how to preserve moisture and fertilize them for maximum production. In other words our conditions today do not apply to requirements of ancient days. We know from past experiences about what the needs are for the days ahead, barring any unforseeable conditions. Production by irrigation can be speedily stepped up to meet urgent needs. It doesn't take much surplus to deaden the market and until we have good reason to build up wasteful supplies, I think we ought to keep them within proper bounds.

—o—

You can't kill time without injuring eternity.

—o—

Heaven must be in us before we can be in heaven.

—o—

It seems that congress insists on limiting the flexible program so much that it won't flex off rock bottom. If it won't flex that means we could get lower prices than ever.

A Quick Trip, But Worthwhile

By Edwin B. Petersen

HELLO FOLKS — The minute men of today are the ones who can make it to the refrigerator and back with a sandwich while the commercial is on. 

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FOR A MAN with no experience you're certainly asking a high wage," said the prospective employer.

"Well sir, the work's so much harder when you don't know what you're doing."

—

WE GOT A fill-in on the Yellowstone Earthquake. My in-laws came to visit us. Some of the incidents were pretty gruesome, but there were some amusing.

Some of the 'shirt tail' relatives had gone up into the mountains near West Yellowstone to cut timber. They took a car and trailer along with enough food to last them several days.

The night of the earthquake they were awakened by a lof of rumbling (missing text).

So they turned over and went back to sleep. The next morning they went to work little knowing what had befallen the area.

Back home the family was greatly concerned when the didn't hear from the 'boys'. So they send word to the rangers to look them up.

The ranger found them busy cutting timber.

"Don't you boys ever get in contact with the folks back home?"

"We do when we get tired of cutting timber?"

"Don't you ever read the papers or listen to the radio."

"Don't have a radio and haven't been to town to see a paper?"

The ranger rode off. A couple of days later they ran out of food and decided to drive into West Yellowstone and stock up. There they found the town in a mess. Stores were closed and streets broken up. They had been almost on top of the disaster and didn't know anything about it until they got back to civilization. It hadn't been bears at all.

I guess the ranger had at least notified the home folks that they were all right.

"No use bothering to tell busy (missing text) the burning issues of the day? Try cutting timber.

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THE BLARNEYSTONE Ranch near Hebgan dam had a big barn that stood right in the way of the fault the earthquake made. Part of the barn went down with the fault and the other crumpled to kindling. The drop is 15 feet. Fences were torn down by the quake and one place the cracks appeared every few feet, varying from a few inches to a foot. The horses won't go near the cracks and water and sand bubbled out of them.

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FOR ONE fellow the quake was a blessing. Nephew Paul Bragg who covered the disaster for the American Broadcasting Company was offered a handsome position with another radio station. They now live in Idaho Falls.

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UPDATE

The 1959 Yellowstone earthquake also known as the Hebgen Lake earthquake was a powerful earthquake that occurred on August 17, 1959  at 11:37 pm (MST) in southwestern Montana, United States. The earthquake was registered at magnitude 7.3 – 7.5 on the Richter scale. The quake caused a huge landslide that caused over 28 fatalities and left $11 million (1959USD, $74.1 million 2006 USD) in damage and also blocked the flow of the Madison River resulting in the creation of Quake Lake. Effects of the earthquake were also felt in Idaho and Wyoming.

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