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About The Bend bulletin. (Bend, Deschutes County, Or.) 1917-1963 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 21, 1950)
PAGE SIX THE BEND BULLETIN, BEND, OREGON 1 SATURDAY, JANUARY 21, !950 Central Oregon "Blizzard of 1950" Leaves Picture Trail When the 1950 Blizzard Struck r : . : r - .. x , - 4 Wall Street Scene Bene, Oregon, January, 1950 fur $9 4fi nil. ...i,- , r, wmpr&m its ; a .....r-. ..... v:.-7 in 9 Leaning into the blizznrd, with not another person visible on Wall street, is Gifford Briggs. Drifting snow was whipped over building tops. ' Here is a Wall street scene, and it was taken in Bend, Oregon, not in New York. The picture was taken after 26 inches of snow blanketed Bend earlier Jhis week, following two storms one a blizzard. Piles of snow in the center of the street were removed later 1 In the day. Bend Old Timers Recall Deep Snow of Over 30 Years Ago e i Old timers agree that central Oregon's "great blizzard of 1950", an event of the past week, was a spectacular storm, but they will not concede that it equals the storm of December, 1919, when four feet of snow blanketed Bend. But, regardless of the opinion of early-day residents of Bend, the blizzard of 1950 was worthy of news mention and pictures: Appearing on this page are some of the pictures taken by "Bulletin photographers in the past 10 days. A few of the pictures present blizzard scenes, others show the deep snow that followed the high winds of the past week end. High Winds Drift Snow One of the pictures on this page is a view of the Ste Charles hospital grounds taken when a roaring wind whipped across Bend and lifted clouds of powdery snow into the sky. Wind whipped trees illustrate the ferocity of the storm. Pictures here deal with two entirely different storms one marked by winds of near hurricane velocity and the other by perfectly calm conditions. Of the two storms, the blizzard was the more spectacular. Following that disturbance, snow earlier this week fell for some 15 hours, with scarcely a breath of wind noted. It was in that quiet storm that snow massed on top of houses, balanced on fences, draped itself on trees and covered much of central Oregon "with a silence deep and white". That fall of snow created some pf the scenes pictured on this page. Snow Removed From Streets In the fierce storm of 1919, snow piled into drifts on Bend streets and remained there for days. Motorized snow removal equipment somewhat changed the picture in the storm of 1950, with hundreds of tons of snow hauled away from down town streets. In 1919, there were few cars on the streets of Bend. In the 1950 storm, cars were stranded in many parts of town, and some parked out over night in zones of drifting snow were nearly buried. Officially ending the "blizzard of 1950", a roaring ehlnook wind whipped over the Deschutes basin this week, as a warm mass of air from the south pushed against a stubborn cold front. " Deschutes County Courthouse in Winter Setting i. January Storm Cloaks Bend with Ermine 1 WW" I " I.L.I ((MnaMNtinr ' ifif;;;i ;;'.;..' v-j;-v-;i ";s;:;-;i;,v;;':i:;:''"-;v v .a ' :V:ii; mi 'J V f f" - m tf..j iiininlmiM '"" " " T ii -, s i ' i Shown here is the Deschutes county courthouse In an unusual setting, under deep snow that blankets lava and covers cars. This picture was taken following the heavy snow of the present week. At the right Is a car practically hidden by the deep snow. Note that the flag is at half most In honor of Alrf orce General H. H. Amok!. For some 15 hours early this week, snow piled up in Bend, without a breath of wind noted. The snow massed on ot striking beauty. Here Is one ot tne scenes, tne nome 01 mr. ana mra. nenntm v-ruicKsnanK (lormeny ine , Drake road. trees and created scenes Longballa residence), on Deschutes River Covered With Ice Snow Decorates Trees Blizzard Whips Hospital Grounds a. w ' , ...... . i . . ...... ....nKMP'i'rr . : ? . .. . Bend's Mirror pond was frozen from shore to sho e In places after the temperature dipped below zero in the recent storm. Waterfowl congregated in the limited open water. Some of the birds are pictured here. Walter G. Peak is feeding the ducks. Snow that lazilv fell for some 15 hours created many scenes of strik ing beauty In Bond. Here are some trees in Pageant park with limbs laden by snow. This picture of the St. Charles hospital grounds was taken from the shelter of the Bend ro hall a blizzardous winds whipped over the hospital grounds. Note the tree at the left bendlne before the snow-laden wind.
