The winter of 1923 proved to be a record breaker even as the season was coming to an end.
A storm on April 7th and 8th of that year saw 30 inches of snow on the ground with drifts reaching 8-10 feet high in the city and even higher in surrounding areas. By that time, the total amount of snow that had fallen for the season reached 105 inches (or almost 9 feet) with the average being 70 inches in those days.
Snow in the surrounding townships around the Sault was said to be 9 feet deep which would make a journey into town nearly impossible. Fences, along with chicken coops, mailboxes, and any pieces of farm equipment left out from the previous Autumn, were completely buried. Farmers were especially anxious for the snow to disappear as many families had not been outdoors for the entire winter.
At Mile 60 along the ACR, a trapper by the name of Tony Swartz took pity on a big moose who wandered to his cabin and completely collapsed from exhaustion seeking shelter from the snow, which reached over the animals shoulders. Mr. Swartz fed the moose and provided protection from both the elements and potential predators who would take advantage of it's weakened state.
The snow in town caused several streets to be completely closed before clean up could get underway. The ravine which crossed Great Northern Rd. north of MacDonald Ave. was said to be filled with snow 18 feet deep in spots making crossing impossible for both vehicles and pedestrians. City Engineer L.R. Brown would close the road from Bruce to MacDonald and encourage citizens to dig out ditches on or near their properties to prevent any flooding come the Spring thaw.
In the west end, drifts managed to get so high that snow plow drivers would state they were able to see into second floor windows of homes.
As seen in the accompanying photos to this story, clearing Queen St. alone would take a major effort with horsepower still being the main mode of doing so. It would take days just to clear the roadway from Pim to Gore street.
Freight and passenger trains along the ACR route to Franz were cancelled with service resuming the morning of April 9th after the storm died down.
Original photos via the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library are dated sometime after the storm in April 1923 with present day comparison taken by Jo Bumbacco a century later in April 2023.
Info sourced from the Sault Daily Star: April 9th and 11th, 1923.
Since we're talking about snow storms...
The winter of 1923 proved to be a record breaker even as the season was coming to an end.
A storm on April 7th and 8th of that year saw 30 inches of snow on the ground with drifts reaching 8-10 feet high in the city and even higher in surrounding areas. By that time, the total amount of snow that had fallen for the season reached 105 inches (or almost 9 feet) with the average being 70 inches in those days.
Snow in the surrounding townships around the Sault was said to be 9 feet deep which would make a journey into town nearly impossible. Fences, along with chicken coops, mailboxes, and any pieces of farm equipment left out from the previous Autumn, were completely buried. Farmers were especially anxious for the snow to disappear as many families had not been outdoors for the entire winter.
At Mile 60 along the ACR, a trapper by the name of Tony Swartz took pity on a big moose who wandered to his cabin and completely collapsed from exhaustion seeking shelter from the snow, which reached over the animals shoulders. Mr. Swartz fed the moose and provided protection from both the elements and potential predators who would take advantage of it's weakened state.
The snow in town caused several streets to be completely closed before clean up could get underway. The ravine which crossed Great Northern Rd. north of MacDonald Ave. was said to be filled with snow 18 feet deep in spots making crossing impossible for both vehicles and pedestrians. City Engineer L.R. Brown would close the road from Bruce to MacDonald and encourage citizens to dig out ditches on or near their properties to prevent any flooding come the Spring thaw.
In the west end, drifts managed to get so high that snow plow drivers would state they were able to see into second floor windows of homes.
As seen in the accompanying photos to this story, clearing Queen St. alone would take a major effort with horsepower still being the main mode of doing so. It would take days just to clear the roadway from Pim to Gore street.
Freight and passenger trains along the ACR route to Franz were cancelled with service resuming the morning of April 9th after the storm died down.
Original photos via the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library are dated sometime after the storm in April 1923 with present day comparison taken by Jo Bumbacco a century later in April 2023.
Info sourced from the Sault Daily Star: April 9th and 11th, 1923.