Remembering the Blizzard of '67

I was three-and a-half-years old, but I have memories of the 1967 blizzard as experienced by our family at 610 Central Avenue in Wilmette. My family, who was from the New Jersey-New York City area, had only been in the Midwest for about eight years, if that, at the time.

Everyone knew it was a huge storm, though I’m not sure they knew it was a storm for the ages. Certainly no one knew, 44 years, 7 Presidents and three Chicago blizzards later, this would still be the storm to beat.

One vivid memory I have of that storm, was gathering with our family to look out the window that was on the landing of our stairway. It overlooked the backyard, and I guess it was our first real look at the storm. It seemed early in the morning, but time stands still on days like that.

The view was like looking out at another planet.

Like last week, there was snow and frost on the glass. A roughly six-foot tall pine tree that was 20 feet left from our back door had been knocked down. It’s green color stood out starkly in the otherwise white landscape.

My father bought a saw to cut it from its stump. Our family still has that saw; maybe it should be in a museum.

That morning, someone was talking about the tree and about going to work, or school while other people were surprised, laughing at the thought of anyone contemplating such a thing that morning.

Recently, I learned that the weather was in the mid-60s just a few days before the '67 blizzard hit. I found among the back and white prints of that time.

Though I don’t remember these pictures being taken and I’m not sure who took them, it's dated the same month and year as the blizzard. My father shot slide film almost all of the time. Either he, or one of my brothers, Chris or Greg, took them, except the shots they're in.

I suspect the image is from one of those days. In its own way, the spring-like weather is as extraordinary as the storm itself.