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Milk Snake Run-In on Colorado Homestead

By Capper's Staff
Published on September 27, 2012
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The next time you see a milk snake on the prairie, you'd better make sure you're not holding bread with butter!

This incident happened in June, 1912, when I was visiting my parents on a Colorado homestead in the dry land country of northern Colorado.

One beautiful warm morning Mother and I stopped our work for a snack. We gave my 2 1/2-year-old daughter a piece of bread spread with fresh butter, and she went outside and sat down in her little chair to eat it.

Mother and I were visiting when we heard the baby scream. I rushed outside in time to see a large spotted snake crawling away with the bread in its mouth.

As soon as she saw me, the child stopped crying and said, “The mouse took my bread!”

She had scratches on her hand from playing with a kitten, and I was sure the snake had bitten her. After some fearful moments we realized she had not been hurt.

We were told later that the snake that stole the bread probably was a milk snake attracted by the fresh butter. 

Mrs. I. H. Drennon
Fort Collins, Colorado


Back in 1955 a call went out from the editors of the then Capper’s Weekly asking for readers to send in articles on true pioneers. Hundreds of letters came pouring in from early settlers and their children, many now in their 80s and 90s, and from grandchildren of settlers, all with tales to tell. So many articles were received that a decision was made to create a book, and in 1956, the first My Folks title – My Folks Came in a Covered Wagon – hit the shelves. Nine other books have since been published in the My Folks series, all filled to the brim with true tales from Capper’s readers, and we are proud to make those stories available to our growing online community.