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Reflections: 1926 blizzards almost paralyzed Perth County

The newspapers of the day described the early-spring snowstorms as the worst in decades

After experiencing a winter that has been longer and snowier than recent years, many are eagerly awaiting warmer springtime temperatures. A similarly persistent winter affected much of Ontario in 1926, and a series of blizzards that swept through Perth County in the days leading up to Easter were considered the worst spring snowstorms in decades.

In a Beacon Herald article published April 1, 1926, a Listowel reporter stated that March had gone out “like a Lion” in reference to the storms. They wrote, “’like the lion that ramped and roared with horrid laughing jaw,’ it snapped the branches off the trees and tossed them against the windows; it broke off telephone and telegraph connections; it conquered hydro and left the town darker than the oldest inhabitant remembered it in the good old days. . . . Then as if to give an exhibition of its varied powers it threw in a dash of sleet and slush and as it departed yapped out of its horrid laughing jaw: ‘April Fool.’”

Reflections: 1926 blizzards almost paralyzed Perth County Back to video

Stratford papers reported that on April 1, there had been “little damage done in the city itself by the storm and only minor interruptions to the electric service.” This changed however as weather conditions worsened over the following days. On April 3, an article in the Beacon Herald stated the strong winds and heavy snowfall bore no resemblance to Easter. It stated: “the city is still death throes of the March lion, which went on a rampage here Tuesday night, and has raged in disagreeable savagery since.” It was expected that it would take several days to restore telephone and telegraph service, despite many crews working on it. Even longtime Stratford-area residents commented on the harshness of the storm. A group of farmers who went into Stratford in the morning of April 3 said to a Beacon Herald reporter “with emphatic words and gestures that the 1926 Easter period is one of the worst in decades.”

Similarly in Mitchell, telephone poles and wires were damaged. It was reported that five miles of telephone poles and wires were down from near Bornholm to Monkton as well. During the worst of the storm, Mitchell residents used coal oil lamps and candles for lighting purposes.

The town said to have been spared from this March lion was St. Marys. Like other municipalities in Ontario, people were without telegraph and long-distance telephone services, but there was reportedly negligible damage to property throughout the town.

Perhaps the worst of the storm was experienced in the northern part of Perth County. Listowel papers stated that on the evening of Tuesday, March 30, the area suffered from one of the worst ice and sleet storms in its history. An article in the Listowel Standard read “On Saturday last a terrific snowstorm raged all day. The night C.N.R. train from Toronto got stuck in a snowbank near Drayton and was delayed for several hours. Instead of reaching here at 8:30 p.m. it arrived at 1:30 a.m. Sunday, much to the annoyance of the Easter visitors.” The photograph from Stratford-Perth Archives accompanying this article was taken on April 4, 1926, in Listowel and shows a train engine stuck in the snow. In the foreground are fireman Herbert Stitt (right) and brakeman J.E. Brown. Not clearly seen is engineer Joe Fair. who is sitting in the cab.

The Stratford-Perth Archives welcomes donations to the collection and is open for drop-in research from Tuesday to Friday, as well as other times, including Saturdays, by appointment.  For details about what’s available during Reading Room drop-in hours and appointments for in-depth research, please visit www.perthcounty.ca/StratfordPerthArchives, call us at 519-271-0531 ext. 259 or email archives@perthcounty.ca. 

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