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News from Ft. Buford

6/8/2008:

The news from Fort Buford on this date in 1877 described the woes of too much rain. The writer of the piece, signed only as Rex, began his report: “And what is so rare as a day in June.” Rex felt a clear day in June was becoming the rarity.

The previous June, Ft. Buford endured a snow storm. But the soldiers preferred snow to their many recent storms, during on of which Private Dennis Ring had been killed by lightning.

Rex finished his report with: “We close this as we commenced – with rainy thoughts, and if we only had the cottage, we’d lull ourselves to sleep with this old song:

When the lurid showers gather

Over all the starry spheres,

And the melancholy darkness

Greatly weeps in rainy tears –

‘Tis a joy to press the pillow

Of a cottage chamber bed

And listen to the patter

Of the soft rain overhead.”

By Merry Helm

Source: The Bismarck Tri-Weekly Tribune. 8 June 1877.