February 25, 2015

Blizzard of 1979

The Great Blizzard of Feb. 25, 1979 became the yardstick by which snow has since been measured in Cape Girardeau.

Southeast Missourian archive

The Blizzard of '79 left many houses without power and heat, among them the rural Perryville, Missouri, home of Mrs. Kathy Webb. Here, Sgt. Roy Jerrolds of Mokane, helicopter crew chief, carried Alyssa Webb, 3-month-old daughter of Mrs. Webb, as Mrs. Webb, carrying bags of clothing, climbed over a fence. (Southeast Missourian archive photo by Fred Lynch)

This scene was repeated many times in Cape Girardeau during the Blizzard of '79. This vehicle, like hundreds of others, was trapped by drifted and plowed snow. The photo was taken on Broadway near Perry Avenue. (Southeast Missourian archive photo by Fred Lynch)

An awning collapsed under the weight of two feet of snow at the Howard's Athletic Goods store, Broadway and Pacific. (Southeast Missourian archive photo by Fred Lynch)

The Missouri National Guard helped clear Broadway and Cape Girardeau's other streets of two feet of snow during the Blizzard of '79. The telephone building is on the right. Shakey's Pizza Parlor is at left. (Fred Lynch ~ Southeast Missourian archive photo)

National Guardsmen cleared Broadway of two feet of snow during the Blizzard of '79. (Southeast Missourian archive photo by Fred Lynch)

The driver of a Greyhound bus and his five passengers, who rode out the Blizzard of '79 in the bus after it stalled at U.S. 61 and Route W, were loaded onto a National Guard Jeep for a return to the bus, after spending a night at the Salvation Army office on Broadway. (Southeast Missourian archive photo by Fred Lynch)

The cafeteria at the Illmo Scott City School was damaged in the Blizzard of '79. (Southeast Missourian archive photo)

Two unidentified men in a John Deere tractor with a blade attachment helped clear a residential street. (Southeast Missourian archive photo)

Burton Davis of Cape Girardeau shoveled snow off the canopy on the front of Zickfield's Gift Box, 27 N. Main St., in the aftermath of the Blizzard of '79. (Southeast Missourian archive photo by Fred Lynch)

This was the scene on Broadway, just east of West End Boulevard, on Feb. 28, 1979. (Southeast Missourian archive photo by Fred Lynch)

Snow removal became a major problem after the Blizzard of '79, and the Good Hope Street business district was the last major area of the city to be cleaned. This photograph was taken in the 600 block of Good Hope. (Southeast Missourian archive photo by Fred Lynch)

Perry County Deputy Bob McAte approached Sam Morse of rural Perryville, Missouri, with medication Morse needed. It was one of many such medical missions conducted by authorities and National Guard personnel in Southeast Missouri. (Southeast Missourian archive photo by Fred Lynch)

Traffic was heavy near the Cape Girardeau Post Office on March 1, 1979, as residents stopped in to collect their accumulated mail. (Southeast Missourian archive photo)

Traffic moved at a snail's pace along Interstate 55 during the Blizzard of '79. (Southeast Missourian archive photo by Fred Lynch)

Orders for an emergency mission were given to Capt. Warren Norris of Jefferson City, a National Guard helicopter pilot. At left is Maj. Don Koehler of Cape Girardeau. In the middle is Maj. Robert G. Little of Cape Girardeau. (Southeast Missourian archive photo by Fred Lynch)

Loy Welker, right, and his son, Scott, got ready to leave the National Guard Armory in Cape Girardeau on their snowmobiles. They were on an emergency medical mission. (Southeast Missourian archive photo by Fred Lynch)

With vehicles banned from Cape Girardeau's streets during the Blizzard of '79, walking became a major form of transportation. (Southeast Missourian archive photo by Fred Lynch)

An unidentified man pitched in to help clear a residential street. (Southeast Missourian archive photo by Fred Lynch)

Travel in passenger cars was discouraged, to say the least, by authorities and the picture here illustrates the reason. The car either was stalled and was hit or was hit and then abandoned at the intersection of Kingshighway and Independence Street. Whatever the sequence of events, the car sat in the middle of a key intersection. (Southeast Missourian archive photo by Fred Lynch)

The Southeast Missouri State University bubble fell victim to the heavy weight of two feet of snow. (Southeast Missourian archive photo by Fred Lynch)

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The Great Blizzard of Feb. 25, 1979 became the yardstick by which snow has since been measured in Cape Girardeau.

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