People often feel cooped up in winter, but the winter of 1880-81 was particularly challenging, with an abundance of snow. Going into the winter, people were not prepared for what was about to happen. Summer had stretched into October, giving little indication of the change of seasons. Perhaps it was because white settlers had been in the area for a relatively short time, but many had been stalling on the farmwork, thinking they would have plenty of time to finish up the harvest and do fall