Posted in Denver February 21, 2018 by

The Record Setting Snowstorm Of 1913 Was The Biggest Blizzard In Denver History

Can you imagine having over 3.5 feet of snow accumulation in a matter of days? In 1913, this was a reality in Denver, and life in the city came to a screeching halt. After a blizzard swept over Colorado and other western states during the first part of December of that year, the snowfall in the Mile High City totaled 45.7 inches. That is a record that still stands strong today.

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This man has a big job ahead of himself as he works to clear a path to the Colorado State Capitol Building.
History Colorado Online Collection/Object ID 89.451.2640
The snow began to fall on December 1st of 1913 and carried on for four days. On December 5, residents finally got out into the knee deep drifts to begin snow removal and answer the question of where do we put it all?
This blizzard truly stopped all the regular happenings of the city, as depicted by this picture of a snowed-in automobile at 15th and Stout streets.
History Colorado Online Collection/Object ID 89.451.143
Here you can see the accumulation of heavy, wet snow in the North Capitol Hill neighborhood that caused residents to have to walk to their destination by foot.
History Colorado Online Collection/Object ID 89.451.2635
The nearly 200 miles of Denver's streetcar system was shut down including this streetcar which was trying its best to get free of the deep snow on 16th Street.
History Colorado Online Collection/Object ID 89.451.143
No one was getting anywhere around town very quickly with more than twenty streetcars stranded or derailed around Denver. These two streetcars were stuck in snow on 17th Avenue between Lincoln and Sherman streets.
History Colorado Online Collection/Object ID 2646
Even though a Denver Post headline for December 5, 1913 read, "Mantle of Shimmering White Stops Activity And Everyone Jollifies," this blizzard caused huge concerns for residents both during and after the snow finally stopped coming down.
History Colorado Online Collection/Object ID 2638
Citizens were dependent on coal for heat at that time, and many homes ran out with no way to get more for days on end. In addition, buildings that hadn't been built properly collapsed under the weight of the snow.
History Colorado Online Collection/Object ID 2647
The city ended up hiring hundreds of men to shovel the sidewalks and streets of Denver, paying them $2.50 per day for their labor. These men were clearing a sidewalk in front of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on the corner of Colfax Ave. and Logan Street.
Although the Mile High City itself greatly experienced the setbacks of the blizzard of 1913, the mountain communities were hit even more harshly and it took weeks for normalcy to be renewed in those areas.
History Colorado Online Collection/Object ID 89.451.2634
Many of the surrounding mountain towns received more than 60 inches of snow with Georgetown recording a whopping 86 inches.

What is the biggest blizzard you can recall since living in Denver? Please share in the comments section.

There have definitely been some impressive blizzards since the record-setting blizzard of 1913. Check out more information about A Massive Blizzard That Blanketed Denver In Snow In 2003 And It Will Never Be Forgotten.