100 years ago in Eastern Washington: As jackrabbit population hit by disease, Texas sees opportunity

From our archives,

100 years ago

The state game warden in Seattle reported receiving an interesting batch of letters after the state’s jackrabbit population had been ravaged by disease.

The letters, mostly from Texas, asked the game warden to send them a few germs.

“All say the jackrabbit is pest in Texas, and all are eager for information as to the possibility of introducing into Texas the disease, which recently played such havoc with the eastern Washington animals.”

The warden replied that he did not know the nature of the disease but was trying to find out.

From the coyote beat: The repercussions of the brutal winter of 1916 continued. A correspondent in Mansfield reported that coyotes were coming into Central Washington towns, “driven to desperation by hunger owing to heavy snow.”

“For several nights they have been coming close into the outskirts of Mansfield in search of food,” and a good-sized one was seen inside the town limits. “It is said that in some of the country districts, the smaller children are being kept from school because of fear that they might be attacked by the hungry beasts.”

Also on this date

(From the Associated Press)

1836: The siege of the Alamo began in San Antonio, Texas.