Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1937-12-09

tently, until in April Of 1856.
Seemingly it was not alone in Ohio
that there was an unusual snowfall,
for one article / have makes a rec
ord of the snowfall in Connecticut,
and the report of large slelghlng
party there, was, very likely, the
cause of the great sleighing party
will now report for you.
The following is taken from the
Cleveland Herald and while l do
not have the date of the issue OF
the paper. / can say that it was the
issue of the Saturday following the
14th day of March, 1856. l have
not looked up the calendar to see
Just what date that would be: AT.
ter some preliminary discussion OF
weather conditions during the past
say: yesterday, by previous argee-
ment, Medina, Cuyahoga and sum
NIT counties met, by four,horse
sleigh representation, at Richfield,
to dispute the right Of possession to
the flag previously won by summit
county from Cuyahoga county, for
getting up the largest sleighing par
ty. (There is nothing in the ar
ticle to let us know whether this
same winter or i'll previous winter,
and it would appear that Medina
county was not represented at the
previous party, but wanted to get
in on this one). The Cuyahoga peo
pie were very confident yesterday
morning of outnumbering all COM
petitors, and so assured were they
that they procured squad of ar
tillerymen to take out a gun, that
they might announce to the listen
ing world that Cuyahoga had Won
the field.
But, alas-"the race is not al
ways to the swift, nor the battle 20
the strong" and the poor artillery
men, after dragging their heavy
guns through 1 5 miles of deep snow
drifts, and being soused into four
foot snow banks several times by
the upsetting of their carriage, ar
rived at this village just in time TO
learn that Cuyahoga's honors trail
- i +he-snow, and the banner
still hung from SUBMITS outer
walls. untouched. (--c village r1e4.
toned was Richheld) Cuyahoga
assembled a procession of l51 four,
horse teams, occupying over two and
a half miles of road; Medina had
40, and Summit had III, all four
horse teams hitched to sleighs.
One who was there says 1t would be
within the truth to estimate the
number of persons at ten to each
sleigh-the total number, therefore,
meeting at Richfield, was at least
1920; the number of horses at
tached to the sleighs were 1,S4S;
and the cost, estimating at S15 each
sleigh, was nearly $1,000. Who
ever heard of a sleigh ride on the
14th day of March, in Ohio, over
roadways packed more than two
feet with snow? We are Informed
that, apparently, no impression has
been made by the sun on the snow
all over the country, and 1T is at
least two and a half feet deep, on
the average...."
The above is the substance of the
article, and gives an idea how much
interest had been aroused in this
competition to see which county
would turn out the largest number
of sleighs of this notable event.
How many times since then, do you
suppose. it would have been pos
sible to assemble another gathering
anywhere approaching this vast
number. When ! was young boy,
even in high school, no winter pass.
ed without a big sleighing party
from town out to some farm, near,
where we spent the evening ana
enjoyed a fine ride and good time
while out. While we did not have
consolidated schools then, there
were always a few young people
from out in the country coming into
town to go to the high school dur
ing the winter, and through the
kindness of the parents OF some of
these young people, we we're extend,
ed an invitation TO come out and
spend the evening at some farm
house. ----------