THE WEATHER – 1934

The Farmhouse, 1940

December 31, 1933 --

“The snow is all gone off in a rain, [and there were] dreadful reports from California over the radio last night – 12 inches of rain in 30 hours, lives lost, damage to houses, bridges, roads, etc. We never had such work before at this time of year.”

January 1934

1940 -- the flat (north field) from behind the house

Ina writes: “No one here can recall such rain and floods at this time of year ever and we had such high winds for a week or more. June’s old bean house blew down onto grass separator damaging it a good deal.” She goes on to say that a big branch of her olivet cherry tree was broken in the wind. Grandpa Jack cut the tall pine just back of the house because it had become dangerous. He also cut down the group of small pines just northwest of the hog house, and Ina added that they now have a beautiful view of trees and mountains to the north and east.*

February 1934

“Weather like spring – fields and hills are greening.”

April 1, 1934

Everything is a month early, says Aunt Bertha

September 1934

A fire of two-weeks duration caused much damage in Little Canyon during the summer, but in September, Ina says, “. . . there was quite a lot of water in the creek and the springs seemed to be running good. Water is scarce on the hill, though, and people hauling from Wheeler Springs. We had a nice rain last Saturday night and it has cleared the atmosphere so that it is very beautiful now.”  She calls it a drought and adds that “the hot weather came just at the wrong time. ‘There’s always something to keep the rabbit’s tail short.’”

October

Ina wrote: “It has been awful dry and people hauling water and driving cattle and horses down into the canyon sides to springs, etc.” She goes on to say that in northern Alberta, where daughter Pearl and Al farm, it was wet through September “when they were praying for dry weather so as to save feed out of their hailed-out fields.”

November

“We’ve had a really lovely mild fall so far. The lawn and lot are as green as spring and fall grain coloring the hills beautifully.”

So, according to these letters, it seems that a mild winter of 1933-34 became an early spring, a hot dry summer, and a lovely mild autumn. Mid-January 1935 Ina commented that the snow was 15 inches deep and drifted.

Aunt Bertha commented in her letter of April 1934 that the man who predicted the San Francisco earthquake said that “this coast would have a Florida climate.” As I wondered aloud who might have predicted that, Mike suggested Edgar Cayce. I read many of his prophesies didn't find such a reference. KW

*The Dobson family took pictures over the years but evidently not of the hog house and not of the view to the north that Grandma Ina mentions. I suspect, though, that cutting those trees opened the view from the kitchen window.