Let It Snow!
This massive snowstorm in January of 1918 might have frozen the North Shore solid,
but the total accumulation pales in comparison to the “blizzard of the century”
that would blanket the area many years later.
During paralyzing snowstorms a century ago, a horse and sled often came to the rescue even when those behemoth train engines couldn’t steam through the drifts. Milk, groceries, mail and a way to get to work hung in the balance. Here’s downtown Glencoe, looking east along Park Avenue, in the aftermath of one of those storms, circa 1918. Everyone pitched in to dig out the town with horses, snowplows, shovels and hard work, a story repeated throughout the area. The 1918 storm dropped 14.9 inches of snow across Chicago and the North Shore, yet, for all its fury, the Jan. 6-7 blizzard ranks only ninth in the area’s 10 worst snowstorms recorded by the National Weather Service.
Which storm packed the most punch? You got it — Jan. 26-27, 1967, with a 23-inch dump. The January 1999 storm runs a close second with nearly 22 inches to its credit, and last February’s blizzard racked up more than 20 inches, winning third place. With predictions for the worst winter anywhere in the country right here at home this season, maybe it’s time to check out options at the nearest stable.
Definitely check out the Glencoe Historical Society at 377 Park Ave. Current exhibits feature Glencoe Civil War heroes; “Stop the Presses” with original newspaper, radio and TV clips of landmark events; and a celebration of Skeezix and the Gasoline Alley gang from the cartoon series created by Glencoe resident Frank King. The society always offers a place to research your home, family roots or vistas of long ago. Find out more at glencoehistoricalsociety.org/home/index.shtml.