What’s the biggest snowfall Ridgefield has ever gotten?
Few records exist for the 18th Century and most of the 19th, but one storm that stands out was Feb. 4, 1926, when a blizzard dumped three feet of snow on the town — nearly as much as the most heavily hit areas from Jonas last weekend.
“Everywhere were huge drifts which reminded us of the great blizzard of 1888,” The Press said at the time.
The Blizzard of ’88, from March 11 to 14, was certainly the most famous storm, and paralyzed much of the East Coast with snow depths of up to 60 inches. The Press reported at least two feet fell, but did not offer a precise measurement. Official historical records included 45 inches in New Haven and 22 in New York City, suggesting Ridgefield may have been somewhere in between. The Press did report that a drift on West Lane near High Ridge was measured at 15 feet.
A special Press “Blizzard Edition” included a headline: “Ridgefield Shut Off from Outer World for Nearly a Week! Traffic on All Roads at a Standstill!”
More than 400 people died in the storm but none here. Some people came close. Milkman Darwin Dixon braved the storm the second day, but soon “found the task a most difficult one. The horse, after wading through snow two feet deep, became utterly exhausted and Mr. Dixon left him at Mr. John Brophy’s and, despite the protests of that gentleman, the milkman continued his journey on foot. He became so nearly paralyzed with the cold that on reaching the home of Walter Staples, that gentleman found him crawling on his hands and knees. Mr. Staples aided him to his fireside, where Mr. Dixon was most tenderly cared for. He is now out of danger.”
Then there was the adventure of the dutiful Miss Johnson, clerk at the village train depot (where Ridgefield Supply is now). “All day long the depot building shook and trembled. Station Agent Stalford feared the structure would be blown to pieces by the furious gale. Finally with the aid of Mr. Will C. Barhite, he persuaded Miss Johnson to make the attempt to return home, a distance of perhaps an eighth of a mile. It was a struggle for life on the part of the three. They reached Mr. Stalford’s but Mr. Barhite was so overcome that he was obliged to take to his bed to be resuscitated. Miss Johnson bravely stood the storm and came out of the ordeal frightened but unharmed.”
Like many 20th-Century stories that compared storms to the Blizzard of ’88, the Blizzard of ’88 story had its own comparison. “In the month of November 1839, Lewis H. Bailey, Esq., distinctly remembers to have experienced a snowstorm equal to the recent one in every particular,” the Blizzard Edition said. “And so it goes; never can any thing occur without its being a duplicate of the past, proving the worn out maxims that ‘history repeats itself’ and ‘there’s nothing new under the sun.’”—J.S.
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