This
has been a cold, miserable winter in the contiguous US and it is still early
January. The temperature in December reached recorded lows in 30 cities but
Embarrass, Minnesota gets the prize with -45 degrees. Philadelphia’s most
frigid January temperature, -7, was reached in 1982 and 1984 according to
statistics beginning in 1881 and although the daily temperature is significant
this winter has also produced prolonged bone-chilling cold. People tend to say
that this has been difficult to survive but historically people have, with far
less resources and no technological entertainment, managed to get through until
spring. These stories prove there is a “morning after” if you just hold on.
The Hard Winter of 1779-80 has
come to be recognized by some as the harshest winter of colonial times. In 1779
General George Washington marched his troops to his chosen winter campsite,
Jockey Hollow, three miles southwest of Morristown, New Jersey where they would
stay from December to June. Approximately 10,000 men, including several
Pennsylvania regiments commanded by General Arthur St. Clair, constructed 1,200
log huts. The cutting down of the 2,000-acres of forest was necessary for
encampment construction but deforested the area. All high level officers were
housed in area homes. General St. Clair lived in the 1750 Wick Home. The home
is situated in Morristown National Park and is open year round on a schedule. www.morristourism.org
Also in the park are the recreated huts of the
Pennsylvania Line soldiers. Having learned from the winter spent in Valley
Forge encampments were standardized. Huts were to be 16.5-ft. high, 14-ft. wide
and 15 to 16-ft. wide. Each held twelve soldiers and was constructed with a
fireplace, one door and bunks. Four officers shared a larger hut with two
fireplaces.
Ford Mansion Slaves and Servants Room
Aides' Sleeping Quarters
Washington resided in the Ford
Mansion along with his aides-de-camp, including Alexander Hamilton. His 150
Life Guards, his personal body guards, lived nearby. Martha always spent the
winters with George and she arrived at the Ford Mansion on December 1, 1779 and
left on June 23, 1780. While living there Washington complained that his 18
slaves were not adequately housed. Their lodgings were cramped and so cold that
they were always ill. He had rooms built in the mansion and a log cabin on the
exterior to help solve the problem. Tours of the Ford Mansion and adjacent
Headquarter Museum bring the mansion inhabitants to life as well as the
experiences of the winter of 1779-80.
Jockey Hollow Visitor Center interprets
the story of the average soldier through an orientation video and exhibits. The
most compelling exhibit is a recreated cabin that looks as if its occupants
just left. www.nps.gov/morr/index
The American Revolution took
place over seven winters and of those the winter of 1779-80 in Morris County
was the harshest. Washington had
selected the area for his winter encampment because it was strategically located,
could be defended and offered Washington views of the British movements. The
weather was uncooperative from the beginning and negated all the region’s
advantages. The roads were impassable and dispatches had to be walked through
the snow making message transmittal problematic.
Winter arrived early and after
several snowfalls in November December arrived with a snowstorm. On January 1st
a blizzard began that would last four days. It is believed that there were more
than 25 snowfalls and frigid temperatures and this was one of only two
documented times when all the fresh and saltwater bays, harbors and rivers
north of North Carolina were totally frozen. The army endured inflation,
starvation and lack of clothing and 100 men died.
On March 18, 1780 Washington
wrote to the Marquis de Lafayette,” The oldest people now living in the Country
do not remember so hard a winter as the one we are now emerging from.”
The Reeds- Public Domain
In
April of 1846 a group of 89 emigrants left Illinois for California via Fort
Bridger, Wyoming. The 20 wagons were lead by George Donner and would come to be
known as the Donner Party. They were
the final major wagon train to head to California in 1846. They departed
Independence, Missouri on May 12th, nearly one month later than the
optimum time for the journey.
A shady
guide, Lansford Hastings, induced them to take a different trail. Hastings was
to meet them at the fort but was not there when they arrived. He was leading
another group but he left word for them to follow and he would mark the trail
for them. Hastings never met up with them and sent word that they should take
another route.
After
wasting nearly 20 days they began to
cross the Sierra Nevada Mountains late in the season. A massive snowstorm
blocked their passage through the mountain pass on October 28th.
They would spend the next 5 months penned down by ice and snow. They were
approximately 100-miles from California and the group built ramshackle housing
and slowly began to starve.
On
December 16th the 15 strongest pioneers donned homemade snowshoes
and hiked for help. The hikers were too weak to walk out, food became a necessity
and cannibalism became a viable option. Before they were forced to draw lots a
few of them died naturally and it is believed the others suddenly had enough
food to regain their strength. Two Native Americans traveling with the party
fled, afraid they might be murdered. The hikers later caught up with them and
murdered and consumed them. Seven of the hikers made it to California and
arranged for a rescue.
Original Newspaper- Public Domain
Meanwhile,
back at the camp, the families were starving and a few died of malnutrition.
Some of the settlers cannibalized the corpses of their fellow travelers. Some
refused to eat and died instead. Rescuers arrived in February and March of
1847. Only 45 of the travelers finally arrived.
MSBTravels.com
Donner
Memorial State Park and Emigrant Trail Museum is located in Truckee, California.
A 22-ft. monument located on the exterior of the museum indicates the height of
the snow during the ordeal. www.townoftruckee.com
Yes
our winter has been a struggle but remember, it could always be worse.
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