tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20637018.post2575474207647913498..comments2024-03-09T13:49:36.566-06:00Comments on Prairie Bluestem: 1952 South Dakota Blizzard StoryGenevieve Netzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08004780820713448880noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20637018.post-18641411003656921272020-07-27T14:33:48.956-05:002020-07-27T14:33:48.956-05:00I was born in Pierre, SD in March of 1952. My pare...I was born in Pierre, SD in March of 1952. My parents had traveled down from Alaska so I would be born in a State. They were staying in rural SD with my grandparents at the time. They burned old tires in the field by the house so my Great Uncle Howard who worked for a crop duster and had been checking on them would know to land. He flew my mother into Pierre where she stayed with my aunt for a day before delivering me in St. Mary's hospital in Pierre. I grew up hearing stories of how I had my first airplane ride before I was born. We returned to Alaska where my dad learned to fly his own plane.<br />VLeighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13301831795256331159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20637018.post-47613006889444830212013-05-16T07:00:35.118-05:002013-05-16T07:00:35.118-05:00With reference to telephones and radio back in the...With reference to telephones and radio back in the 40s, 50s, and 60s, where I grew up on a ranch some 16 miles from Philip, SD, we did have a telephone, which was one of 22 (!) that shared the same line. Each subscriber had a distinctive ring: ours was a long and three shorts. You had to pick up the receiver, then turn the crank. Everyone heard everyone else's rings, so you could listen in if you were so inclined. Over time, service improved, and by 1960 we actually had dial phones, which were a big deal. <br /><br />As for radio, someone mentioned WNAX in Yankton. I remember listening to to it at night (A.M radio was best at night). We also got WCCO from Minneapolis, KSL in Salt Lake City, as well as stations from Chicago, St. Louis, Dallas, and Del Rio, TX. And KOMA, Oklahoma City, was the station of choice for pop music among the high school crowd. But only at night. Daytime radio was much, much more limited. KOTA in Rapid City was about all we did get during daylight Hours.Gecko46https://www.blogger.com/profile/03772449577137210018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20637018.post-88351393549543490502008-10-25T00:28:00.000-05:002008-10-25T00:28:00.000-05:00Marvin, there weren't many radio stations, even in...Marvin, there weren't many radio stations, even in the 50s and 60s. We listened to WNAX to get a weather report, and we lived 30 miles south of Bassett, Nebraska. We also listened to KRVN which was the Lexington, NE, station. My parents watched the barometer constantly and observed what the wind was doing.Genevieve Netzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08004780820713448880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20637018.post-3268844830392454162008-10-24T17:41:00.000-05:002008-10-24T17:41:00.000-05:00i lived through those blizzards,very few phones,an...i lived through those blizzards,very few phones,and all we had for radio stations was wnax in yankton,s.d.which is 160 miles away,by the way i live south of winner,s.d.snow drifts were 20ft.high,my dads cattle lived through those blizzard years,but one neighbor lost over 100 head.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20637018.post-20555250473611453472008-05-14T16:18:00.000-05:002008-05-14T16:18:00.000-05:00Hi, Brenda. In the 1920s and 1930s when your fath...Hi, Brenda. In the 1920s and 1930s when your father was growing up, I wonder how common it was for rural folks to have a telephone to talk to the neighbors or a radio to hear the news. In northern Nebraska or southern South Dakota, I'm not sure there would have been a radio station in some areas.Genevieve Netzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08004780820713448880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20637018.post-46698301718887554972008-05-13T12:38:00.000-05:002008-05-13T12:38:00.000-05:00This past weekend I was speaking to my father (age...This past weekend I was speaking to my father (age 85) about life growing up. He mentioned his family's social life -- primarily going to the home of friends and family to celebrate birthdays and get in some card playing. At any rate he mentioned that gathering together was so enjoyed so thoroughly that people didn't want to head home, even to beat a blizzard! I'm certain that the event you describe must have been severe since Dad said they also used to hitch up the horses and travel to and from church during light snow storms. <BR/><BR/>Anyway, as always, I enjoy your posts and always walk away with history made live!Brendahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16284140554445462441noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20637018.post-85629094761753866652008-05-12T18:04:00.000-05:002008-05-12T18:04:00.000-05:00At the peak of one of the more intense blizzards t...At the peak of one of the more intense blizzards that I remember, there were cracks of thunder along with the howling wind.Genevieve Netzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08004780820713448880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20637018.post-53841030645559512462008-05-12T07:08:00.000-05:002008-05-12T07:08:00.000-05:00Anyone that has been through a Big Blizzard will a...Anyone that has been through a Big Blizzard will always be keenly interested in how other folks survived one. I can recall my Grandfather telling about getting his mail dropped from an airplane in the '50's. <BR/><BR/>I can't imagine digging out of a big blizzard without power equipment. It took a huge Caterpillar to get my road cleared after <A HREF="http://feedlot.blogspot.com/2007/02/real-winter.html" REL="nofollow">this</A> one.<BR/><BR/>The etymology of the odd word itself is mysterious.ptghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15079577478993790527noreply@blogger.com