2007 Year in Review

THE WINTER OF '36

As I write this, the temperature is -14 with a wind chill of -23! Seems like a good time to look back at the "good old days" when it was a lot worse. We old-timers still remember the winter of 1936 and the dry summer that followed. I suppose there have been a couple of years since that were almost as bad, but the equipment and technology that we have today helps us handle those kinds of things so much better.

There were some dry years in the early 1930's, and even Morrison was affected by the dust storms that swept huge dust clouds from Oklahoma Territory all the way to the East Coast. 1935 was a fairly normal year for weather. The winter was mild with the coldest temperature at -12 on January 24. There was adequate rain during the summer, and crop yields were decent. The Great Depression was in full swing; there were millions without jobs. Maybe the good weather would be a good omen. Then we were hit with the "winter of ’36."

There had been record cold and snow in 1897 and again in 1912, but they couldn't match 1936. The January 23 issue of the Whiteside County News said, "Residents of Morrison and vicinity are beginning to thaw out." That night the temperature had hit -24 but had climbed to -8 by noon. Most of the rural roads were closed because of heavy snow and strong winds from the previous week. Snow had covered the ground since Thanksgiving, and there had been no "January thaw."

Almost 20 inches of snow had fallen in January. Most rural schools were closed. There were few rural mail deliveries, and most social events were cancelled. People simply did not leave their homes unless it was necessary. Some farmers tried to deliver their milk to town, often making their own roads through the fields. Fences weren't a problem, because most of them were buried under the snow.

The strong, cold winds led to many frozen noses, ears, and faces. There were coal deliveries to Morrison by the railroad, but dealers delivered only small amounts to homeowners just to make sure there was enough for everybody. Most City mail was delivered, but not without cost. It was reported that mailman Andrew Ross froze his face. It had taken him extra time to make his deliveries one day, because he had extra mail. Ironically, most of it was spring seed catalogues.

Weather records show that on January 15 the high was 38 degrees. There were only 3 days between then and February 23 that the temperature reached 30 degrees, and there were 23 days when temperatures dropped below 0 degrees. Because the frost kept going deeper, water and gas lines froze.

There was one bright spot in all of this. Mt. Pleasant Township had just bought a new snow blade, one of the first in the area. It was a hydraulic blade mounted on a caterpillar tractor. Amazingly, it was able to plow through snow drifts 5 feet deep and 20 to 80 rods long! It was reported that a number of people from town went into the countryside just to see it work.

The Whiteside County Highway Department reportedly wanted to hire this wonderful piece of equipment to use on their roads. The few County roads that were opened during this rough time were usually cleared by WPA workers using their little gravel shovels---a very slow process!

That severe winter brought back some memories of the "good old days" to the older people of that time. They again observed the City streets filled with teams of horses pulling bobsleds, people picking up their mail and that of their neighbors, and citizens exchanging stories of how deep the snow was on their road. This all helped to keep people’s spirits high.

By March the weather had moderated, the snow was melting, and the roads were open again. Things seemed to be getting back to normal. Then came the "summer of ’36," but that is another story.

So, relax and enjoy the weather--remember it can always get worse!

by Orville Goodenough, Guest Columnist
February 20, 2007