Blizzard of '77

[brian_in_idaho]

I see quite a few members on here from my old stomping grounds of Western New York. I grew up around the Lockport area. The recent snowfall in the area got me reminising(but not spelling). Anyway, when scatterred WNYers get together, one of the first topics of conversation (following Bills football) is "Where were you during the blizzard of '77". Here are a couple of links about the storm, I hadn't realized it made Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Lakes_Blizzard_of_1977
http://www.wbuf.noaa.gov/bzpns.htm
http://larc.hamgate.net/blizzard_of_1977.htm

I was stuck in high school for a couple of days, the storm hit on Friday, on Sunday we were being bussed to a neighboring town when my dad managed to get through and pick me up. The area was pretty well locked down for the next week or so, we got by with the old open wood fireplace till power was restored. We went through a bunch of wood with that old thing, but it kept things bearable.

Some things I remember:

The snow drifts were packed so hard you could drive over 4-6 foot drifts and barely leave tire tracks. I have never seen something like that since.

Many car completely burried in snowdrifts. Most of the country roads were packed so hard they had to be dug out with front end loaders, many stranded cars were discovered this way. "steel snow drift" was a common phrase back then.

Several houses in our area were completely burried, tunnels were dug to the doors to get in and out.

As kids we had a ball digging tunnels in the drifts. The drifts were 10 feet or more in many places, we had several tunnels you could stand up and walk around in, and a couple of 2 story "structures". Good old days.

This is the only time I remember that Harrison Radiator (GM division, now Delphi Thermal) was closed for any length of time.

Who else has some stories to relate??

Bri

 

[jabush]

I was born and raised in Olean and was 10 back then. Don't remember a whole lot about the storm itself but I do remember having a crapload of snow. The snow was piled way taller than me on either side of the driveway and along the street, and all I was worried about was making snow forts!! Ahh...to be young again.

 

[NFreiermuth]

I was six years old, but I remember as plain as day sledding off of the house roof Yes, folks, the drifts were THAT BIG
My dad's voice still rings in my head saying "Don't whack the gutters"
I grew up in Niagara Falls, LaSalle Section. If I remember correctly, It didn't snow all that much, but the wind never stopped.
Maybe we need more genuine "Snow Days"

Cheers fellow New Yorkers

 

[Greg123]

I was 7 years old at the time, I remember when the storm hit, our house got berried under snow, and the only thing visible was the peak of the roof. I still live in the Western New York area and we have had a few good storm’s since then (Like the on last week) but nothing compares to the Blizzard of 77, what remains vivid in my mind about the storm was the extreme cold –30F, Allot of people froze to death in there cars and houses.

There is a good book that writes about the Blizzard of 77 called White Death, I haven’t read it myself but heard good things about it.

This Winter will mark the 30th anniversary of the storm.

 

[BrotherBart]

I was thirty years old and living in Texas. I don't know that I had ever heard of Buffalo before but we sure did that year. It was all over the news. A woman that I worked with and her husband got transfered to Buffalo and got there four days before the storm. She called me and yelled "I want to come home!".

Later she called and said "You will never believe what they go crazy over here. Chicken wings! You know. The part of the chicken we always threw away!".

 

[Roospike]

Lets see ....... 29 years ago + at 30 hh:

Hahaha ......Just rib-N-ya Ole' BB ;-)

Chicken Wings ! Throwing away CHICKEN WINGS ! Thats unheard of here in the midwest .
Before "chicken wings" was the thing it is today its always been the "thing" with the ole' redneck crowd. Any chicken ranks right up there with T-bone steak round dees parts.
(regular chicken wings is not MY thing except for the bufflo style )
Guess I'm stil a red-neck in training . Lobster , Crab legs , Prime Rib & Ribeye is more my thing.

 

[BrotherBart]

Lets see ....... 29 years ago + at 30 hh:

Hahaha ......Just rib-N-ya Ole' BB ;-)

Yep. Got socks older than mosta you guys. And ain't feelin good about it either!

Golden years my $%# ! Ya don't get wiser, ya just get old. I guess there are a lot of milestones in life. The other day I was in the stove shop looking for the new insert. I looked up at the ceiling and the store owner asked what was the matter. I told him that I had just realized I was shopping for my last stove. Sobering thought.

Got home and told that to my wife and she said "Yeah. And how long are you going to keep cutting wood to feed it?".

 

[brian_in_idaho]

Man, this talk about chicken wings is getting me hungry The food is the only thing I miss, a good order of wings, a beef on weck and Labbats Blue bring back memories. None of the local places out here or the national chains can get wings right. I miss the Anchor Bar or Duffs wings. My favorites were at a little place in Middleport called Mr. Eds. They were not quite typical "Buffalo Style" they had something sweet, I think honey, on theirs, and would never give out the recepie. We used to ride snowmobiles along the "tow path" along the canal down there a couple times a week.

Hey, how many snowstorms get immortalized in a Jimmy Buffet song, or become the butt of Carson jokes for most of the winter? One year, I think it was in '78, we had the Greyhound get wedged in a snowdrift in front of our place. Traffic had just barely kept one lane open through the drifts..but not quite wide enough for the bus. Quite a bit of entertainment that day watching them try to get it out.

On a slightly different note, anyone on here live around the Tug Hill Plateau? We used to go up that way snowmobiling every winter, for lowlands they really got a buttload of snow! I think they averaged around 300 inches. Out this way we get more in the mountains, but no where near that much down low.

Bri

 

[smirnov3]

Well, around here (Ma), they talk about the blizzard of '78.

I was seven, and we had just arrived from Leningrad (in the USSR. Both of which are now gone).

I remember thinking "the houses around here are really small, but the weather's just like back home"

(before moving to the USA, my familly lived in an apartment in a 6 story, 300 apartment concrete obelisk. Soviet construction ranged from the absurd to the surreal)

 

[Greg123]

I miss the Anchor Bar
Bri

They have Mail order

 

[JMF1]

I live in Rochester, have all my life........I was only 7 in '77, but I remember snow drifts up to the utility wires!
Sledding off the roof was so much fun!

 

[DonCT]

I know the blizzard was 29 years ago, only because I was just a couple months old when it hit. Brrrrrrrr, it was chilly in Nevada! Luckily I had my baby fat

 

[hardwood715]

I was stationed at Fort Devens, Mass. We used to go up to Pulaski to snowmobile with a fellow that lived there on the weekends. I use to think to myself man they get a lotta snow up here, they called it the snow belt. He lived on a place called the robbers roost. I remember being called in at 3 am for an alert, to be ready to deploy for snow removal to Buffalo. I was with the 39th Combat Engineer Batallion, We never deployed our trucks and loaders because there was actually too much snow for us to convoy the thruway! We used to help plow snow in Ayer, Leominster, Shirly, Mass. Those days are long gone as is Fort Devens. BB, I hear ya, as I hit the half century mark a few months ago!

 

[DavidV]

Lets see ....... 29 years ago + at 30 hh:

Hahaha ......Just rib-N-ya Ole' BB ;-)

Yep. Got socks older than mosta you guys. And ain't feelin good about it either!

Golden years my $%# ! Ya don't get wiser, ya just get old. I guess there are a lot of milestones in life. The other day I was in the stove shop looking for the new insert. I looked up at the ceiling and the store owner asked what was the matter. I told him that I had just realized I was shopping for my last stove. Sobering thought.

Got home and told that to my wife and she said "Yeah. And how long are you going to keep cutting wood to feed it?".

Did you tell her? Till the last day!

I dream of the time when I can retire and do only what I want to do. I'm not The only rocking chairs I will use then are to rock my grandchildren to sleep in. Gonna keep cutting wood as long as this ragged sack of bones will allow me to.

 

[brian_in_idaho]

Lets see ....... 29 years ago + at 30 hh:

Hahaha ......Just rib-N-ya Ole' BB ;-)

Yep. Got socks older than mosta you guys. And ain't feelin good about it either!

Golden years my $%# ! Ya don't get wiser, ya just get old. I guess there are a lot of milestones in life. The other day I was in the stove shop looking for the new insert. I looked up at the ceiling and the store owner asked what was the matter. I told him that I had just realized I was shopping for my last stove. Sobering thought.

Got home and told that to my wife and she said "Yeah. And how long are you going to keep cutting wood to feed it?".

Lets just say 50, or even 60, doesn't sound that old any more...I'm 44 and aging rapidly. And yeah, you're right, you just get older, and ache sooner and longer. If it wern't for liquid pain killer and a hot tub I'd be in trouble. I'm building a house in my spare time, getting moving in the morning after a good day's work gets harder all the time. Old enough to be slowing down a bit, but no where near old enough to retire...dang.

 

[webbie]

I told him that I had just realized I was shopping for my last stove. Sobering thought.

Got home and told that to my wife and she said "Yeah. And how long are you going to keep cutting wood to feed it?".

My dad is a car nut and said the same thing about the turbodiesel Mercedes he bought when he was 60. After all, these things last forever, right?

Well, I am here to tell you that he has bought at least 10 cars since.....everything from a Malibu to a Lexus. Recently a used Infiniti for his long drives, which he really likes.

So, Bro, rest assured that the Grim Reaper may be held at bay for awhile.....

There is a reason those "second left in life" clocks are poor sellers. The way I see it, we "believe" right up until the last days.....

59? You are a young man. My dad wishes he was 60 again!

An industry cohort of mine is 58, and beats 98% of the 20-30 year olds in Raquettball. Another friend is my same age (52), and he beats 95% of all comers - any age - in tennis.

I can't beat anybody at anything, but am trying to preserve some strength for later.

 

[webbie]

I know the blizzard was 29 years ago, only because I was just a couple months old when it hit. Brrrrrrrr, it was chilly in Nevada! Luckily I had my baby fat

She-et! DonCt is a young Republican. I didn't know that!

No wonder he takes everything at it's word. Don't worry, Don, you will get old and cynical quickly.

I think we are going to have to start an "over 50" club here on Hearth.com so we can take age into account when it comes to politics. After all, Don was born post-vietnam.....and Carter was Prez. No wonder he trusts.

 

[smirnov3]

I know the blizzard was 29 years ago, only because I was just a couple months old when it hit. Brrrrrrrr, it was chilly in Nevada! Luckily I had my baby fat

She-et! DonCt is a young Republican.

Do you mean 'young turk'?

though come to think of it, 'young turk' implies an up and coming young guy set on taking down them old foggies running things right now - not exactly what you were saying.

 

[DonCT]

And who said I was a Republican? :smirk:

 

[Harley]

I do remember it, I think I was in 5th or 6th grade at the time. School was closed for only a few days, but we were short of a lot of the teachers due to National Guard call up in Mass (I think they all went east). I was at the age where that much snow was a lot of fun, and couple that with cancelled school.... gotta love it

now thinking about it..... I'd probably like to have another good storm like that - still love the snow... maybe I could get a day off from work.