“A Great Curiosity” – Long Lived Hen “Old Granny” Passes On – 1905
Long Lived Hen Ends Her Lengthy Career
The many friends of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Garrick, formerly of this city, but now of Seattle, will undoubtedly be more than a little concerned in the news of the death of Sam’s 14-year old brown leghorn hen, which shook off this mortal coil Saturday night and which was ceremoniously laid to rest at 10 o’clock this morning. The old hen had an enviable reputation among the poultry fanciers of Missoula and upon more than one occasion had won laurels at the fairs of this county.
The brown leghorn was hatched a little over fourteen years ago. When the Garricks moved to Seattle recently, Mrs. F. L. Claydon purchased their poultry and among them was the aged fowl referred to. Old and decrepit as it was, Mrs. Claydon thought more of it than of any of the others. Tenderly caring for it in its old age, she made special provision for it so that it would not have to endure some of the hardships that come to the lot of the other chickens in the neighborhood. Being scarcely able to wiggle around, it was necessary to take every precaution to protect it from the dogs that have frequently been the dread of chickens in that vicinity.
The old bird was in apparent good health Saturday, having partaken of a hearty meal about 4 o’clock in the afternoon. Shortly after roosting time Mrs. Leghorn repaired to her little domicile and an hour later was found dead. No inquest was held upon the deceased form nor was any effort made to diagnosing the ailment of “old granny,” as the children were accustomed to calling her, but the supposition is that she died of old age and not for the want of breath. There is no known instance on record in western Montana where a hen has lived to such an age, and for the past three or four years it was considered a great curiosity.
The above article appeared in The Daily Missoulian on January 16, 1905.
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The Daily Missoulian during this period is rife with articles similar to the one above. Similar in that they often reflected a canny, but whimsical view of the nature of life in a small western town at the beginning of the 20th century. They are often a delight to read.