#TBT: Snow of 1897 still a record for Corpus Christi
Snow isn’t in the forecast anytime soon, but Corpus Christi residents never tire of any snow event. And one of the first recorded in photos was the snow of late January 1897.
The snow fell over the course of five days, from Jan. 25-29, for a total of 6 inches by the end of the month. In fact, the National Weather Service in Corpus Christi confirmed that January 1897 is still the record holder for most snowfall in January for the city.
A Caller-Times article from Nov. 5, 1939, shared some of the observations kept in the weather bureau records by meteorologist J.P. McAuliffe. The snow was heavy enough (his words) and the temperature cold enough that a snowman built by Percy Reed remained on Chaparral Street for three weeks. The city received one inch of snow on Jan. 25, a trace on Jan. 26, two inches on Jan. 28 and 3 inches on Jan. 29. The low temperatures all remained in the 20s for that stretch of time, finally rising into the 30s the last two days of January.
The photo here shows adults and children in the 600 block of Mesquite Street during that 1897 snow, hurling snowballs at each other. The 1939 article also included a remark made by Caller editor Eli T. Merriman. He turned poetic when observing the stark contrast of the dark bay water to the white snow, writing, “The bay hid its face for jealousy.”
Newspaper records for the actual day are thin on the ground, or not accessible by any means at my disposal. But I did find an account of the snow in Beeville, from the Beeville Bee of Feb. 5, 1897. The editor denounced the young boys of the town, who got too rowdy with their snowballs.
More: #TBT: Corpus Christi's recent cold snap still doesn't compare to Feb. 12, 1899
“While snowballing may be all right among acquaintances, when carried to the extreme and with strangers and old men, whose gray hairs should command the respect of every young buck, it ceases to be either amusing or decent.”
Among the victims of the snowballs – which were described as more mud than snow, and some peppered with rocks – was a Civil War veteran as he stepped from the train, who received a black eye from the cold missiles, in addition to having his clothes soiled and hat ruined. An older gentleman “over 75 years of age” and what we would call a Winter Texan these days, was knocked about and said he wished he was young again so that “he might punch some of the young ruffians in the face.”
A.C. Jones, a very prominent citizen of Beeville and considered the father of the town, had his hat knocked off with a snowball, and was jeered at “in a demonic manner.” Several farmers coming into town were also showered with snow and ice.
And among the worst offenses, an older Black man in his 70s, was hit in the eye with a snowball and couldn’t see for several days. The editor observed, “while no one would wish to deprive the young of innocent amusement, when the pursuit of such amusement becomes malicious it justly deserves public condemnation.”
While there’s no chance of snow in the forecast for Christmas, we can view photos of past cold spells, and hold out hope for next year.
Allison Ehrlich writes about things to do in South Texas and has a weekly Throwback Thursday column on local history.
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: #TBT: Corpus Christi record snow of 1897 brought residents out to play
