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Empire Township
Weather
McLean County, Illinois

(Transcribed by: Teri Moncelle Colglazier)

All chronicles of that early day tell of the deep snow in the winter of 1830 and 1831. Persons caught out in it had to rely entirely upon the instincts of their horses or ox teams to find their way back home. Wolves caused more trouble than anything else, coming right up to the houses to steal pigs, chickens and sheep. They destroyed much of the wild game the people needed for food. During the winter of the big snow, many wild animals perished but the wolves seemed more plentiful than ever. On moonlit nights, people could step to their cabin doors and see them frisking about in the snow. Deer, with their sharp little hooves cutting through the crusted snow, were an easy prey for the wolves. Wolf hunts were the main sport of the day, one farmer even trained hounds to catch them. In December, 1836 a sudden change in weather from 40° above to 20° below, accompanied by a high wind from the west, froze water on the fields in waves. Horses out in it had an inch of ice on their skins and harness so stiff it couldn't be removed until the next day. Hiram Buckles' overcoat billowed out from him so stiffly frozen he couldn't get through the door. Salt Creek was frozen clear to the bottom and was bank full. As other water flowed over it, ice froze in tiers five feet above the banks. Another menace to these pioneers was prairie fires. A small wind could whip a path of flames for many miles destroying all along the way. People ran to ponds and streams for protection until it burned itself out. [Heritage of the prairie : a history of LeRoy and of Empire and West townships, McLean County, Illinois (1976) LeRoy Historical Society; LeRoy Bi-Centennial Commission]

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