The Wolf at the Door in Smith River Valley
A winter storm brings a pack of aggressive timber wolves down from the mountains to terrorize a Washington ranching community.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Albert Henry, the Smith River Valley rancher who arrived in Great Falls yesterday, reports that gray wolves are both numerous and dangerous in that vicinity. During the past winter, they have descended to the ranches and killed numbers of calves, with several of his own stock being killed and devoured by them. The present snowstorm will make them even more aggressive and bold, and it is necessary to keep a close watch over the young stock. These are not the coyotes of the valleys, but the big timber wolves, and if pressed by hunger, they will not hesitate to attack human beings. They are extremely hard to kill ordinarily, keeping close in the timber during the day and sallying forth at night in bands of six to one hundred. Mr. Henry apprehends that considerable trouble will be had in getting rid of them and considers the ranges very unsafe at the present time.
“These are not the coyotes of the valleys, but the big timber wolves, and if pressed by hunger, they will not hesitate to attack human beings.”
While Washington's landscape has been transformed by urban sprawl, the intersection of ranching, predators, and climate-driven migration remains a recurring point of tension. Much like the 1891 report of timber wolves driven to desperation by a 'present snowstorm,' modern debates over wolf recovery in the state continue to highlight the precarious balance between wild populations and local agricultural livelihoods.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.