| In
the early 1900's, my husband's uncle, Robert Yates, Sr., operated
a freighting business out of Ekalaka, ranging as far north as
Terry with two wagons pulled by six-horse teams.
The haul from
Ekalaka to Terry took 10 days each way, a far cry from the speed
with which we travel now.
One day in early
spring, Yates and his son Bill and another driver, Pete Whiblem,
started from Baker to Ekalaka, a distance of 36 miles, with two
loads of kerosene and flour.
A terrible storm
struck and deep drifts began to form, forcing them to shovel every
few hundred feet. At times, the cold and blowing snow were so
severe the men would stand between the horses to get a little
protection until the wind abated.
The 36-mile trip
took 10 days, probably the longest on record from Baker to Ekalaka,
and Yates recalled that they had to shovel all the way.
Whenever
possible, the men stayed overnight at ranches or roadhouses, but
many times they had to camp out and make do with their own supply
of groceries and of grain for the horses.
People must have
been tougher in those days.
###
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