The Lamar register., 1918-12-25
BIG SNOW STORM
1918 Storm Will Make Even the Real
1id Timers Scratch Their Heads
To Remember Something to
Equal it.


The series of snow storms that be-
gan last Tuesday and kept it up for
week have just about put the old
timers out of business so far as depth
of snow is concerned. True, many who
are comparative new Corners can re-
member ones that did more damage
and interfered more with traffic, but
the small amount of stock on the range
and improved methods of handling
traffic will account for this. Alto
gether, according to government me
thods of computing the fall of snow,
just about two feet have fallen, and
while some has melted and all packed
down to considerable extent there il
still from II to Is inches on the level
covering all this section of the valley.
The third week in December seems
to be the best time for big storms in
this section as far more have occurred
at that time than any other date. Six
years ago on December 18th a big
snow started that covered the ground
for weeks and total of Is inches fell.
At about the same time the following
year the whole state of Colorado with
the exception of small section north
and south of Lamar had the biggest
snow in the history of the state, 50
inches. Several other heavy ones have
happened notably the big snow that in
terfered so seriously with the county
seat elections in this and Baca counties
in November, 1889.
The writer is not a real old timer
having only been here about ~ years,
but We can distinctly remember when
we arrived in the early spring of 1887
the settlers were still talking of the
big. blizzard in December, 1885 and
January. 1856, which lasted IL days
and so many cattle were frozen along
the railroad fence from where Lamar
now is to the state line that it kept
all the inhabitants busy for weeks
saving the hides. On December 10Th,
1887, probably the deepest snow that
has visited this valley previous to this
one started and as the new settlers
just coming to the valley were lily
prepared for anything of the kind
many were frozen to death in what
was then old Bent county. The rail-
road was tied up for days at time
and we -rcrc almost cut off from the
rest of the country. Thousands OF
head Of cattle died on the range and
when the snow finally cleared away
in the spring the prairies were cover
ed with their bones. So poorly pre-
pared were people for such storm
that a number of cases of death from
either ctarvation or cold were report
ed even weeks after the storm as the
country was filled with old men and
women on claims far from other peo-
pie. who were unable TO get either
fuel or provisions.
1t is a mark of the wonderful change
that has taken place in this country
that while there is again large numb
er of new settlers here. all are far
better prepared for the storm and the
stock is well protected. While the
deep snow and cold weather will be
quite inconyenient, there will be little
genuine suffering as n consequence.
The moisture stored in the snow will
be of great benefit to the farmers and
will when it melts assist materially in
refilling some of the storage reser-
voirs which have been badly depleted
by the dry seasons of the past two
or three years.