February 29, 2008
The Friday Flashback: The Blizzard of '79
We woke up this morning to another fresh coat of snow on the ground. While we're certainly among the ranks of those who just wished this winter would end already we have to concede that we have lived through worse.
When the words "blizzard" and "Chicago" are uttered in the same breath two years immediately come to mind. We weren't born in 1967, but we sure as hell remember 1979 and all the snow that fell months before our tenth birthday. On the night of January 12 that year, the snow began to fall. It didn't stop until 2 a.m., two days later. Over that two-day span, 20.3 inches of snow settled on top of the seven inches left over from a New Year's Eve snowstorm.
By the end of the month, 47 inches of snow had accumulated. When spring officially rolled in, the city had seen a "please let it stop" total of 88.4 inches of snowfall that winter. The roof to our garage on North Lawler collapsed under the weight, we were able to build a sweet igloo in the backyard, and developed a lifelong aversion to fried bologna sandwiches (the only lunch meat the corner grocery was able to keep in stock) and Spaghetti-Os. It was also one of those rare occasions where the practice of "dibs" was worthless; cars could not be dug out of their spots.
Transportation came to a standstill, as Streets and San plows were ill-equipped to deal with the sheer volume of snow - their plow blades were better accustomed to the 8-12" accumulations we regularly see. The CTA outfitted trains with plow blades in order to keep the rail lines clear. The photo above (via) is of "Car 24" ramming through the Davis Street "L" station in Evanston. The Blizzard of '79 wound up dooming the mayoral tenure of Michael Bilandic, who lost to Jane Byrne in the general election that spring.
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I was still a kid in 'da Heights at the time, but I remember those drifts being higher than my Father's head. I also remember my dad helping me build the best snow fort ever.
As a 10-year old at the time, I remember the snow drifts being so high, you couldn't see my grandparent's house from the street...
I remember numerous homes with signs in their front yards displaying such witticisms as Snow for sale and Snow is a four-letter word...
I remember taking our fort-building to a whole other level and launching surgical strikes against the village employees in their open cage snow plows...
I remember moon boots being indispensable...
I love those old-school CTA trains, the ones with the bars across the lower-third to prevent kids like me from putting their hands about the window.
I remember losing my leg, running over the piles of snow in the front yard.
Speaking of old-school, does anyone remember the old ads, which I would see only at CTA stations: "Heroin or Methadone, your choice." Ah, the good old days.
I remember that when I was little. My dad was outside shoveling and the wno was coming down so fast, he could't keep up. But he was trying to keep the front door clear of snow.
The snow covered my bedroom windows and was all the way up to the roof. People were skiing/snowmobiling throught he streets.
Snow these days, even if it is a few inches, causes the newsmedia and officials to go into Drama Queen mode. People just didn't get this dramatic about it in the past. Part of that may be the technology that makes it a topic of conversation for a few days before it gets here.
Another big difference between today and the winters of 1967 and 1979 is the huge difference in the amount of salting and plowing. Streets are salted and plowed WAY faster these days. The workers in past decades would be awed by the fleet of trucks we have today. We will never again be as paralyzed as we were in 1979.
I was five at the time, and remember walking into my parents' bedroom and seeing snow completely filling the sliding glass door in there. And I remember wondering what would happen if I opened the door. (I didn't.)
Ward Up -- You are spot on. Back in the day, the weatherman would say, "We're getting snow tomorrow." Not, "A winter blast sweeping from the far-reaching northern boundaries of the Arctic Circle - Candian border will immolate almost all of the norther United States from Alaska to as far as North Carolina with an impressive snow pack....Better wear your boots."
And, not having to go too far back in my already ancient memory, there was the blizzard of 1999 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blizzard_of_1999). I remember digging out enough of the driveway leading up to my garage in Old Town to drive my truck out, but, I didn't so so for my neighbor in the garage (the driveway looked like a tunnel to my spot).
I was 5 years old. We went outside to slide down the mountains that lined the street. We were surprised to discover the cars underneath.
We lived on the top floor of a three-flat with a closed-in back porch. I stood in the walkway next to our back yard, staring up at the rear windows of our apartment with my mother. My father's head and arms emerged from a window, and he dumped our 6-foot Christmas tree out the window into the snow. He figured that was easier than carrying it down three flights of stairs. Seeing that seemed even crazier than all of the snow.
Fried bologna that's funny. Did anyone eat liverwurst sandwiches? Those were the best in the tube shaped package. Not sure if those are around any more.
Liverwurst sandwiches were a staple of the seventies diet. As were fish sticks, mushy carrot coins, dry meatloaf and TV dinners in aluminum trays with powdery-tasting mashed potatoes...
I remember liverwurst sandwiches, none too fondly either.
Is this storm the reason the Chicago plow trucks drive around with the gigantic front plows to clear a 1/2" dusting? I've been in Chi-town for four years and have never understood why the city uses these huge plows all the time when an under body plow would be much better for clearing snow under 6 inches (about 98% of the snow events) and maneuvering between traffic and parked cars. I wouldn't be surprised if the "bigger must be better" machismo pervades Chicago's Dept of Streets and San.
While I am no expert on snow removal, I did grow up in northern MI where the 1978-79 snow total of 88.4 (that area is pushing 100" this season) is just an average year. Almost all of the road commission plow trucks in MI use the underbody plows unless there is a huge storm.
For example:
Michigan plow truck
Chicago DSS plow truck
No comment on the liverwurst sandwiches.
Car 24 didn't have the bars on the windows. Only the 6000 series cars that ran through the Logan Square to Kennedy Expwy tunnel on the Milwaukee line had them.
P.S.- I was talking to fellow commenter "Peacebaby" tonight how much this post kicks ass.
I'm a huge Chicago history fan, and this kind of stuff is awesome.
Just figured you guys hear all the negative and not enough positive as to what some of us in the audience like...
Thanks, plumbum. Local history is the focus of this feature (and Karl's "Wayback Machine" posts when he does them), and we'll keep on keeping on with this.
I also remember the '79 storms. I lived on the Northwest side and our apartment complex had a funky courtyard, the snow was pretty high off the ground, covering our first floor windows completely. It was a bitch to move around in, if you some how were lucky enough to get your vehicle excavated you then had to fight your neighbors for the fresh parking spot if you had to go somewhere. Employing the tried and true method of lawn - chairs, refrigerators and other things to mark your turf.
Now to Liver Wurst. I always called them Liver Sausage sandwiches and my family use to eat them on wholesome wonder bread with a layer of mayo on the LS side and then a slice of Velveeta plastic cheese on top of the LS. It was alright for it's time, but try to get me to eat one today? Forget it.