Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-12-20
COLO? LOOK At 81
PloNEERs RECALL WINTERS OF
REAL SNOW AND STORM.
Drifts Fourteen Feet High and ios Four
Feet Thick Back in Early Days Of
Howa-Thsrmome Dropped 70 ~
Degrees Below Zero-Wiid oame
Nearly Exterminatsd by Hungry
Wolves. t .rt

| Waterloo, Dec. 20.--Later day resi-
dents Of this city who believe this win
ter is starting out to establish a rec
ord should hear some Of the old timers
tell about the winter of 56-'51 to have
their fears dispelled.
Early settlers of the city and Iowa
stand pat on the winter of '56-'57 as
being the champion" season for snow.
severe winters following in the early
COS. which make tho winters expert
enced in. the last decade seem like Wis
| its to Florida, according to these old
timers, who braved the elements when
Iowa was 'boundless prairie.
Was a Real Winter.
George p. Beck remembers the win
ter Of '56-'57 distinctly. He worked in
q sawmill, which. he says, was the
coolest place on earth. and when spring
came that year he vowed that he would
not spend another winter in Iowa. Yet
Mr.. Beck is the only man living here
who was q resident OF Waterloo in
1855. He says that the weather, now,
| is Snug" q.
Ice was four feet thick, temperature
was not above zero for 80 days and
much of the time the thermometer
registered around 80 below, frequently
40. and snow did not thaw at any time
during the winter, Mr.. Beck, stated in
talking of the winter Of SO. He heard
many stories of cabins showed under
in the country and of snow so deep that
people could not get to the cattle for
feeding.
In ST a man who lived near the
old Waterloo graveyard found nearly
all Of his herd Of cattle, so, frozen to
death and standing on their feet, Mr..
Beck said.
Deer, which were plentiful in those
days, were all but exterminated by
wolves and hunters. The snow was 80
deep that they could not travel in
search Of food and they became so
weak and emaciated that they fell
easy prey to their pursuers. John
Leavitt and other citizens of Waterloo
protested against the slaughter but it
was of no avail and very. few Of the
pretty animals remained after the me-
morable winter of '56-7.
Mesioks Story Of Snow.
Edwin Mesick, who came to Water
loo in 1851, said that the worst win
ters he has known were in the late
SOS and nearly SOS. More snow fell,
more storms came and everything was
| more severe during those years than
since. He saw thermometer that
registered II degrees below zero at the
Illinois Central station and during one
year Waterloo was without mail SER
vice for eight days. He does not re-
member the exact year. but 1t was
about that time. He remembers seeing
drifts Of snow IL to IA feet In front Of
what is now the Leavitt & Johnson
bank building many times.
Mr.. Mesick arrived in Waterloo In
the spriAg of 1857, and came from Du-
buque in lumber wagon. When he
crossed Buffalo creek more water was
running by either side Of the bridge
| than was going under the bridge. The
| water was so deep on the bridge that
| it was necessary for him to put boxes
| on the wagon to sit on as the water
went over the body OF the wagon. The
great amount Of water came from the
excessive fall Of snow during that year.
John Mesick, his father told him
that during 1856 snow on roofs at the
southern side had not thawed at any
time for two months. People at that
time, he said, did not dare to go from
the house to the barn during a storm
in fear Of becoming lost. John Mesick.
while returning from q trip to Nc
Gregor during a snowstorm, became
lost on the prairie one night. He let
his horses go. unguarded. rode all
night, and when dawn came found
that he was but a mile from home.
The falling snow obliterated every
mark In the prairie and covered tho
landscape, he told his son.
Marquis Says "Rinssnortsr."
w. H. Marquis says that the winter
Of 1855 was q ringsnorter. Mr.
Marquis had his face, nose and cars
frozen while walking forty rods one
day against the wind. 1t was so cold
that in the spring Of SO he and his
father, David Marquis, set out in Q
wagon for Kansas, or any southern
state where 1t was warmer. They trav-
eled all summer in the wagon, but as
no place seemed 70 be as good as Iowa
they returned in September to brave
another winter here and the family
has been here since.