A look back 100 years - the snowstorm of Feb 8-9, 1909

On February 8th and 9th, a major snowstorm enveloped the area with blizzard conditions. 100 years ago, the road system in this region was more like trails, with horse-drawn wagons and sleighs still a primary means for getting around. Rail was another popular mode of transportation. But snow removal over rail lines was primitive at best in those days. Therefore needless to say, many areas were paralyzed for some time.

We checked the archives and found these snowfall totals below, with snow amounts listed in descending order from highest to lowest.

Location	Snow amount in inches
Sioux Falls, SD	21.0
Menno, SD	18.0
Centerville, SD	18.0
Windom, MN	16.5
Canton, SD	14.0
Sioux City, IA	13.1
De Smet, SD	12.0
Forestburg, SD	12.0
Vermillion, SD	12.0
Alton, IA	12.0
Huron, SD	10.8
Mitchell, SD	10.0
Sibley, IA	10.0
Wentworth, SD	9.5
Le Mars, IA	9.0
Sioux Center, IA	8.0
Wakefield, NE	7.0
White Lake, SD	6.1
Brookings, SD	6.0
Wessington Springs, SD	6.0
Academy, SD	4.0
Storm Lake, IA	4.0
Armour, SD	2.0