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Snowstorms in the Wild West
While some of the snowiest places in the West were (and still are) in remote, relatively uninhabited places, there were incidents of travelers getting caught in winter storms, often with grim consequences. In October 1846, at the beginning of what is still considered to be a record snow season, George Donner, leading a group across the Truckee Pass, just north of Tahoe City, Calif., was surprised by an early winter blizzard. Within eight days, forty-foot drifts had accumulated, trapping the group in the mountains. They weren't rescued until April 1847, and by then only 47 of the initial 87 remained alive amid reports of cannibalism. In winter 1873, Alferd Packer and several other gold seekers trekked into the San Juan Mountains of southern Colorado. Trapped in severe winter weather, months later, only Packer returned. When the bodies of the remaining men were found, evidence indicated that they had been cannibalized by Packer, for which he was tried and convicted.
Although the sparsely populated West was not as drastically affected as the eastern metropolises, the western states also received a fair share of winter storms. In the western part of the country railroads provided a significant source of transportation especially for the mountain mining industries. Subways and elevated rails were just not practical for the vast plains and mountain passes, so steam trains battled drifts with giant rotary plows, plowing snow and blowing it away at the same time. Ranchers erected snow fences, which protected roads and prevented snow from drifting too high on their property. The burgeoning population centers of the West, such as Denver, Salt Lake City, and Seattle, soon acquired snow removal equipment to battle the winter storms. However, they were often able to rely on the sun or mild weather to melt heavy snowfalls, as they still do today.
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