A Winter Story From 1922

My Mother's Snow Story

My mother was 21 years old at the time she had this experience. She wrote about it in her memoirs in 1976 and I thought since we are in a rough winter I would share it with Gather. We just think we have it rough now

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In the winter on 1922 while teaching a country school we had such a heavy snow that I had to room and board with the director's family. (Country schools were in townships and each school had a director, or person acting for that school on the township committee.) The first night when he came in the bobsled to pick up his children I had some work I wanted to do so I told him I would walk home. What I didn't know was the lane to their house was impassable and he had broken a road through the field not thinking to tell me.

The first end of the lane wasn't so deep but it kept getting deeper. I thought it would be easier to struggle than to go back. The snow was up to the top of the fence and I was sinking in as far as my long legs could. I did a lot of resting--this was really hard work. I thought what if I get stuck and can't pull my legs out.

It was nearly dark when I finally got to the house and my director felt terrible that he hadn't told me. He said the horses couldn't get through when he tried on Saturday but the wind had blown the tracks full. That is why I saw no signs of them.

Incidentally, in those days, room and board was $3.00 a week.