| OCR Text |
Show HISTORY OF SANPETE COUNTY. 15 were startled by a continuous hissing and rattling of myriads of rattlesnakes that made a simultaneous attack upon the habitations, wriggling and writhing about in the boxes, beds, cupboards and everywhere they could get inside the homes of the settlers. A general warfare was inaugurated by the aid of pine-knot torches, and many hundreds of the reptiles were killed, nearly five hundred being slaughtered in one night. The strangest thing connected with the raid of these deadly serpents was that not one person was bitten, though the coiled enemies were everywhere present, in threatening attitudes, frightening men, women and children on every hand. Notwithstanding the severity of the winter and scarcity of food, on account of supply teams being snowed in at Salt Creek, the people enjoyed remarkably good health and but few cases of sickness oc- spring, the peaceful colonists curred. In the spring of 1850, when time for plowing and planting came there was but one team able to draw a plow through the native desert, until feed was obtained from the growing grass. This team belonged to Jezreel Shoinaker, and was used to break small garden patches, while the other poor animals were resting and recruiting. The snow which had lain on the ground all winter to the depth of three feet or more was slow in melting and no But, the colonists were crops were sown until -June. fortunate in having a fair supply of seed, and the soil proved very productive, thereby giving some green vegetables for food within a short time after planting. Small ditches were taken from the creek, and the water freely applied to the then parched sand. About July 1st, of this year, Chief Walker and a band of 700 warriors of the Sanpitch Indians, with their squaws and pappooses, returned from a successful foraging expedition against the Shoshones and camped in a |
