Worst blizzard ever: Remembering the 'Big Snow' of 1881
- Teryl Franklin
- Updated
The worst snowstorm thought to ever hit Wisconsin brought two blizzards in a single week in March 1881, with drifts up to 40 feet high. All railroad traffic was shut down, as was travel on regular roads and streets. Some people were trapped inside their homes and had to dig tunnels to get out.
"Older residents ... throughout the state say nothing approaching the present storm has ever been known," the State Journal reported March 4, 1881. The headline read: "Snow bound -- is the present condition of the country. All roads blockaded and traffic generally suspended."
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Snow bank in Sheboygan
Several people stand on a large snow bank on 8th Street in Sheboygan, looking north, on March 4, 1881, after the big snowstorm. Signs hanging over the sidewalk attached to the brick buildings read: "Paint, Oil & Glass," and "American Express, Custom House, Telegraph Office."
Wisconsin Historical Society image 39132Just enough room
Three men stand in front of a locomotive with a snow thrower attached to the front of the engine. The snow trough is barely wider than the train but equally as tall. The photo -- from the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway Co. collection -- was likely taken during the big snowstorm of 1881.
Wisconsin Historical Society image 113733Massive drifts in Sheboygan
The view March 4, 1881, from the corner of 7th Street in Sheboygan after the "big snow."
Wisconsin Historical Society image 39133Scene in Whitewater
The scene in Whitewater after a massive snowstorm hit Wisconsin between Feb. 27 and March 3. According to the Whitewater Register newspaper, "Nothing like it was ever seen before in Wisconsin...". The photo was probably taken from the second story of the Bowers Opera House.
Wisconsin Historical Society image 2215After "the big snow"
The scene in downtown Sheboygan on March 4, 1881.
Wisonsin Historical Society image 39134Buried railroad tracks
Men work to dig out train tracks in Racine after the big snowstorm in March 1881.
Wisconsin Historical Society 113701Digging by hand
Another view of men digging out the railroad tracks by hand in Racine County in March 1881.
Wisconsin Historical Society image 11370810 to 12 feet high
A stereograph of snow-covered 8th Street in Sheboygan. The back of the photo said the average height of the snow was 10 to 12 feet.
Wisconsin Historical Society image 142154Posing among the banks
A stereograph of people posing among snow banks in Sheboygan on March 4, 1881.
Wisconsin Historical Society image 142155Headline from the March 4, 1881, State Journal
A headline on the front page of the State Journal on March 4, 1881, calls attention to the storm and the problems it brought statewide.
State Journal front page March 4, 1881
Teryl Franklin
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