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Wolf packs terrorized citizens, livestock

“Grandfather Howell came to Illinois from Tennessee in 1825, settling in Marion County, having taken up land from the government, 80 acres at the time of his coming. He afterward bought 120 acres from the government, a part of which was timbered and a part was on the prairie.
“There were not any settlements on the prairie at that time, all the settlements there were then being in the timbered land. The first Monday in May was wolf day. All the settlers gathered at that day and made a general drive, often taking numbers of prairie wolves.”
This quote from the biography of James F. Howell in the 1909 Brinkerhoff "History of Marion County," was the first I had read of a “wolf day.”
To the early settler, the wolf was a menace. Fayette County Commissioners paid a bounty for wolf heads, and although our history has not recorded a concerted effort on the part of the settlers to lower the wolf population, it is feasible that some would gather for a “wolf day.”
In the memoirs of Presley Garner Donaldson, published in 1913, under the title, “Life and Times of P.G. Donaldson,” he wrote that when his family came to Fayette County, the wolf population of the county was large.
The Donaldson clan came to Illinois from Hickman County, Tenn., in 1829. At that time, there were grey wolves, black wolves and prairie wolves.
Presley told of an incident that took place in 1848. “In bad, stormy weather – or just before a change in the weather – was when the wolves howled to beat a fox. The black timber wolf had a voice like a lion, and the grey wolf wasn’t far behind in the way of making a noise.
“The prairie wolf, or coyote, went in gangs, and no person felt safe in passing through the prairie at night. The wolves were always killing hogs, sheep and sometimes cattle; farmers had a hard time tending to their stock, as everything like hogs and sheep had to be penned close to the house at night, and even after taking all these precautions, the wolves would often get in and play smash.
“My father had a small bulldog named Mage. One day, father went across the prairie to a neighbor’s to get a churn. As he came back, he saw a drove of cattle at a distance, and went to blowing on the churn to frighten the cattle.
“He noticed Mage coming toward him with his bristles raised; father looked and there was a wolf. He said, ‘Take him, Mage,’ and things set in.  The wolf and the dog were about the same size, and put up a desperate fight. Poor Mage had to give up because he had lost so much blood that he was so weak he could no longer stand. About this time,  Henry Haines’ big dog came into the fight without being sent for.
“This dog was a coward, and wiser than Mage, for the latter had to be carried home; he was the worst bunged-up dog I ever saw.”
Donaldson’s second wife, Lydia Shumard Jacobs Donaldson, moved with her family from Clearmont County, Ohio, to Clark County, Ill., in 1852. After living there for two years, they relocated to Effingham County.
Lydia contributed several stories to the booklet, including one under the heading "Chased by a Pack of Wolves." In the tale,  she told that the wolves would travel in big gangs.
“Our neighbor, whose name was Gordon, lived about 1 1/2 miles away. Mrs. Gordon was very sick, so mother said one evening that I must go and see how she was.
“I rode a 4-year-old horse that had never been ridden but a few times by a woman, but at that time I could ride any horse I could mount. I stayed with Mrs. Gordon until it was getting quite late, then started home across the prairie, for there was no road.
“I was using a side saddle, and when I got about half-way home and was riding pretty fast, the stirrup broke. I thought the saddle was ruined without the stirrup, so I got down to hunt for it. The grass was so tall I did not know whether or not I could find it,  but I was busily hunting when I heard a pack of wolves coming.
“The grass was so tall I could not see them and I could see no way to get on the horse. I knew the wolves were getting pretty close, even if I could not see them. A halter chain was around the horse’s neck, so I put my foot in it and climbed on the horse’s back. Then I could see the wolves, and they were getting pretty close. I put the horse down to his best, and when I reached home the wolves were only 100 yards behind. I was scared that time, but I made my escape.”
The stories told by the old settlers about wolves are interesting and thrilling. Within the past few years, it appears that history is on the way to repeating itself, with sightings by locals of bobcats, wolves and panthers in Fayette County.

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