Living on the prairies was all the young girl had known. Though the automobile had brought changes to much of the country, life on the prairie remained much the same. She and her sister had to walk to school. The three miles to Knob Hill School was a lot closer than town which was only thirty miles away. Some days in the wintertime as the girls walked to school, a coyote trailed behind them in the snow. In spring and fall, they had to watch for rattlesnakes.
They lived in rattlesnake country. One of the chores the young girl had was to sweep the snakes off the porch and keep the fiery serpents out of the small fenced in yard as well as off the path that led to the outhouse. One day she went to bring the cows in and found a snake that filled the water bucket.
Rattlesnake country
To those who lived on the prairie, a prairie rattler was part of life. It was as common as the angry green clouds that hurled stones of ice to the ground and the winds that caused the golden prairie grass to ripple like waves of the ocean. Rattlers gave a warning signal if an unsuspecting passerby got too close. The hailstorms also gave a warning, as seen in the color of the clouds ready to unleash their heavy load.
The girl’s father grew up on the prairies, too, from the plains of Nebraska and Oklahoma to Montana. He knew how to handle snakes. *He claimed he could grab a rattler by the tail, crack it like a rawhide whip, and snap its head off. His youngest sister verified his story and said she saw him do it on more than one occasion. Had he been able to lasso the hail clouds and cast them back to where they came from, he might have done that, too.
The young girl grew up. She taught at Cavill School, a one room schoolhouse on the prairie. Though she eventually moved from the prairie, the prairie never completely left her.
You might think this is just some tall tale, but I can assure you this is a true story. I’m as sure as I am my mother’s daughter, these events are true accounts in the life of my mother and grandfather.
Though I have never seen a snake on the prairie, I am cautious. I jump at the sound of those little insects or birds that make rattling noises, and I always wear a pair of boots when walking in the tall prairie grass or an abandoned homestead.
*Warning: Do not try this at home