On Sunday, September 16th at 2 p.m., writer Marita Placek of Lynch, Nebraska will present a program on the “Great Plains Blizzard of 1948-49.” From November 1948 through January 1949, Nebraska experienced over 1700 telephone poles downed, numerous trains stranded, and thousands of cattle smothered in one of the worst winters on record, rivaling the great 1880 storms. According to the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources: “During the winter of 1948-1949, parts of the State had received more than 100 inches of snow. The Wausa/Bloomfield area received a total of 90 inches. One area in Antelope County had drifts that reached over 35 feet and didn't melt until June.” The U.S. Air Force ran many emergency hay-lifts and other runs of food and fuel supplies. While the snow made it a miserable winter, the spring of 1949 brought widespread flooding and further devastation. It was a rough year all around. Using slides and display of photographs and artifacts, freelance writer Marita Placek will present personal stories and anecdotes. Placek writes for the Norfolk Daily News, several weekly small town newspapers, and the Lynch News on KBRX radio. She contributes to the magazine Living Here on local history and people from northeast Nebraska and South Dakota. The Blizzard of 1948-49 appeared first as an article in Living Here. Another recent story, on John Neihardt, appeared in the 2011 Fall issue. Her most recent project is a book entitled, “Legends and Lore of the Outlaw Trail,” an area which is part of the Highway 12 Scenic Byway. She and her husband Willard volunteer at the Lynn Theatre in Lynch as part of a group who keep the theater open with affordable ticket prices. They live on a farm near Lynch.
The Neihardt State Historic Site is located at 306 W. Elm Street, Bancroft, NE. The program begins at 2 p.m. followed by a reception. The event is free and open to the public.
