February 20, 2023 |
Many Wyoming residents only know about the blizzard of ‘49 from history books and a famous documentary about the series of storms that swept the state. Some have first-hand experience. For longtime Carbon County resident, Gene Buckendorf, it wasn’t a movie. He and his family lived it.
The infamous winter of 1949 seemingly came out of nowhere and dumped several feet of snow on the southeastern portion of Wyoming. Arctic winds whipped the gritty ice particles into huge drifting piles, some well over 10 feet high. Food shipments were delayed as highways and railroads were blocked by the enormous snow mounds.
At the time, Buckendorf was six years old and living in a mining camp near the old town of Carbon. He said, with supplies in the camp running low, his father George and his friend, Robert Bruce, drove to Elk Mountain to purchase groceries. The small town was out of food, so the two men headed toward Hanna. On the way back to the camp, with a pick-up full of supplies, Buckendorf’s father and Bruce became trapped in the snow.
Pictured above: Blizzard of ’49. Photo courtesy Wyoming PBS/YouTube.
Stuck on the road without any idea of when or if help would arrive, the two men were forced to make a life-or-death choice. Would they wait for rescue or try their luck in the sub-zero wind? Against the wishes of Buckendorf’s father, Bruce decided to try for Elk Mountain. He did not make it far before succumbing to the brutal cold.
With plenty of food and water, Buckendorf’s father was in good health when rescuers finally found his truck. He told the searchers to find his friend.
Bruce’s body was found not far from the stranded truck.
Buckendorf said he doesn’t really remember anything else from that deadly winter. He added that things were more difficult when he was younger.
The infamous blizzard of ‘49 took a toll on the entire region. But the storms could not break the will of the people. Everyone helped in any way they could, sharing food and shelter with anyone in need.
Volunteers flew hay to remote homesteads, dropping it out of their planes so trapped ranchers would have feed for their livestock. President Truman declared the area a disaster zone and sent the Army Corps of Engineers to dig everyone out, a process which took weeks. People familiar with the event said snow drifts could still be found in certain areas as late into the year as September.
