Recent Blizzard Was Nothing Compared to 1967

Days before the Blizzard of 2011 actually hit, weather forecasters warned us of the approaching snow.  As bad as this storm seemed, the Blizzard of 1967 made this snowstorm look wimpy.  As my family and I watched this year's blizzard, I told them about a “real” snowstorm back when I was a child.

In 1967, meteorologists did not have the fancy machines they have today to predict weather. They were able to tell us the Chicago area probably would get several inches of snow on Jan. 26.

That Thursday morning, the snow already had begun to fall as four of the six Lovejoy children put on the plaid uniforms we wore at St. Francis Xavier School and prepared for school.  Hats, mittens, boots, pants and coats were carefully added to protect us from the elements during our one-mile walk to school.  Back then, moms, especially those with two kids still at home, did not drive their children to school; the idea never crossed our minds as we bundled up, stepped off the large front porch and headed out.

Trudging through the deepening snow was not easy and the blowing wind made it difficult to see. Like most children, we looked at the trek as an adventure, as we crossed the Burlington Northern Railroad tracks on a path we knew by heart. When we reached the school, our boots were left in the hallway and our coats and other items hung on hooks to dry.  Once in our desks, it was obvious many of our peers had not made the trek to school. It was interesting that most students in school that blustery day were kids from the larger La Grange families.

At that time, large Irish-Catholic families were prominent in La Grange. Our family, with only six children, was one of the “smaller” families at SFX parish where eight, 10 and 12 children were common.  This was years before the Duggars were introduced on the television show "19 Kids and Counting.".

By 11 o’clock, after nearly five hours of continuous snowfall, it was clear the end was not in sight.  The nuns and lay teachers deciced to send us home.  I am sure the possibility of spending a night with their students was not very appealing, or perhaps they had heard about the blizzard of 1888. 

Earlier this year, I came across a book titled “The Schoolchildren’s Blizzard” that tells the horrifying story of a January day in 1888.  The day began unseasonably warm and many children in Wyoming, Montana and the Dakotas crossed the plains to their one-room schoolhouses with no coats. While in school, a strong wind shifted in from Canada, plummeting temperatures to negative numbers and unleashing a heavy snowfall.  The teachers, many young women barely out of their teens, had to decide whether to keep the children in school and risk freezing or starving to death, try to lead the children to safety or send the children to find their way home on their own.  No matter what choice the teacher made, there were casualties.  More than 200 children died trying to get home during that storm. Some bodies were not found until the spring’s thaw.

Although the snow was heavy in 1967, we had no problem finding our way home to the large Victorian home that stood proudly on the corner.  A warm fire in one of the three fireplaces warmed us quickly. Like most children, it was not long before we were dressed in our boots and coats and out playing in the snow.  We built snow forts, threw snowballs and went sledding, taking full advantage of the days off school due to the storm.  No school, lots of snow and an assortment of friends who lived on our block made that the blizzard and the winter of 1967 very memorable.

This year during the storm, my children, who are older, shoveled the walks and played with the dog in the snow. Then they came in for some hot chocolate and a round of board games.  We created memories just like my siblings and I did back in La Grange when we were kids.  So someday, years from now, my children will be able to share stories with their children and grandchildren on how they survived the Blizzard of 2011.