Author’s Note: This article is adapted from “Snowbound: Historic Tahoe-Sierra Winters,” a book in progress scheduled for release in 2014 by Mic Mac Publishing.
The winter of 1880 was a wild roller coaster of stormy and sunny weather; a season where extended stretches of fair conditions were broken by record-setting blasts of snowfall. And, the winter seemed to last forever.
During that year, a record 25 feet of snow pummeled Donner Pass in April; one spring storm alone dumped more than 16 feet in just four days. The 194 inches that fell is the greatest amount of snow ever measured from a single storm anywhere in the world. The seasonal snowfall total of 783 inches that year at Donner Pass was enough to rank 1880 as the third snowiest winter of record since 1879.
A major storm in early January 1880 generated avalanches that destroyed large sections of Central Pacific Railroad’s snow sheds that were built to protect trains and track. After the slides, the wooden tunnels harbored a new hidden danger to railroad crews. On Jan. 10, Central Pacific brakeman William Hackatt was killed in Coldstream Canyon when a dangling shed board knocked him off the train. He was severely injured when he fell under the wheels. Hackatt was taken to Truckee for medical treatment, but he died in three hours.
On the final day of the storm, the wind alone blew down another 800 feet of snow sheds. It took railroad crews a week to haul away all the debris and get passenger trains running on schedule again. Cold temperatures during the storm froze the fast-moving water in the Truckee Lumber Company’s mill race. It took the superintendent and 30 men all day to cut, saw and haul out the ice. They estimated they pulled out more than 300 tons of it.
Residents reported that Donner Lake was frozen over, with the ice in some places more than 10 feet thick. Hundreds of skaters from Oakland, San Francisco and Sacramento arrived by train to frolic on the ice. Sunset did not stop the festivities as they kept gliding and dancing under moonlit skies, while bright beacon fires blazing on the shoreline helped keep people warm.
After a long stretch of fair weather, in mid-February another vigorous storm blew in dumping 3 feet of snow in Truckee, 7 feet at Blue Canyon and 9 feet on Donner Pass. The heavy snow triggered deadly avalanches in the Carson Range. One slide near Marlette Lake west of Carson City caught eight woodchoppers in its path; three were buried and died.
The second half of February brought another extended break between storms. Testament to the old weather adage how March comes it like a lion, the month opened with the most severe storm of the season. More than 500 men were now shoveling railroad tracks in the Sierra in a valiant effort to keep the line open. Powder snow associated with this wintry blast filled in road cuts and formed deep drifts.
Between Truckee and Boca, the walls of white along the railroad tracks were cab-engine high. Over the summit, the snow was taller than locomotive smokestacks. Cold temperatures transformed plowed walls of snow into ice and CPRR hired more gangs of men to chip it away with iron bars and shovels. When a crew of 36 Chinese men was buried in an avalanche, quick action by 200 Californians saved all but three of them. With all the bad news coming out of the mountains, there were less and less people riding the trains. It just wasn’t worth the risk. One eastbound passenger train arrived in Reno 36 hours late, with every seat empty. Central Pacific trains that did venture into the mountains progressed slowly between the frequent blockades and snow slides. It was a long and nerve-wracking journey.
High winds associated with the early March storm nearly sank the little steamer “Niagara” at Lake Tahoe. On March 2, the ship departed Tahoe City at 8 a.m. on its daily mail run around the lake with two passengers aboard, Ed and Charlie Marshall of Truckee. Blustery winds had turned Big Blue into a cauldron of white-capped waves. Cpt. Frank Holt made his first postal drop at Glenbrook on time and then headed for Rowland’s at South Shore, keeping close to the shoreline.
Four miles out, they came to the Cave Rock promontory where they hit gale force winds and enormous waves. Capt. Holt ordered all hatches and doors closed to prevent the ship from swamping. At times, the small craft seemed more like a submarine; with water 4- and 5-feet deep on her decks. Apparently, passenger Charlie Marshall was not impressed with their precarious position and he politely asked the captain if he would be good enough to put Marshall ashore at Cave Rock so he could “view the scenery of that much noted place.” When Capt. Holt refused to take the risk, Marshall tried to bribe him with “a very fine span of black horses that he had at Truckee.” The experienced captain firmly ignored Marshall’s offer and kept to his mail schedule, bringing the “Niagara” back to safety at Tahoe City later that afternoon.
By late March, the snowpack in Truckee was nearly gone and residents were enjoying a series of mild, sunny days. Everyone was feeling optimistic that the cold and stormy winter they had endured was over. With the snow melting fast, Truckee locals were already talking boats and fishing. Their optimism was dashed when a relentless barrage of April storms dumped a record 298 inches of snow on the mountains.
Residents in western Nevada also had been feeling good about the welcome spell of spring-like conditions. In Carson City, journalist and weather sharp Dan De Quille asserted that “there is no longer any doubt but that the spring rise is upon us.” One saloon owner ordered a double quantity of beer to be brewed for the coming week. He expected to be selling 500 kegs a week to thirsty miners and teamsters by the middle of April. Despite the prevailing optimism, the Storm King had a cruel April Fool’s Day joke to play on residents in the region.
Stay tuned for the conclusion in Part III.
Tahoe historian Mark McLaughlin is a nationally published author and professional speaker. His award-winning books are available at local stores or at thestormking.com. You may reach him at mark@thestormking.com. Check out his blog at tahoenuggets.com.
