Kewaunee County Ice Storms: 1922 & 2022

If the ice storm on February 21-22 held off for only two more days, it would have been exactly one hundred years since newspaper headlines screamed what residents knew by just glancing out the window. It was written in 1922 that Wisconsin experienced its biggest ice storm ever. But what was “ever?” “Ever” in Kewaunee County would date to May 1852 when the county was  split off from Door. Since the Enterprise started publishing in 1859, “ever” might have started them.

The 1922 storm started out much as the 2022 storm did. Both dawned with a day before that was mild, but windy. It was 50 degrees on Sunday in 2022. The next day started off normally in both 1922 and 2022, but then the rain started. There was sleet, more rain, snow, thunder and lightning in no particular order, but the kinds of weather kept changing. The difference was that in 1922, the storm went on for four days.

TV channels began running closures during the late afternoon of February 21, 2022, while in 1922, folks looked outdoors to make decisions. Most still had horses, and who’d subject a horse to such weather when it wasn’t necessary?

One-hundred years apart, folks looked out the window on the morning of February 22^nd, or 24^th, to see snow and ice sticking to the trees, fences and whatever else was in the yard. Both years saw more snow and ice throughout the day. The biggest difference in the one hundred years was that in 1922 the heavy ice broke tree branches which landed on the ice coated wires and poles, ensuring that wires kept snapping until the storm was over. There was devastation in Kewaunee and fallen wires were scattered all over the city. About thirty light poles snapped, and who knows how many telephone poles came down?

Wisconsin property loss was in the millions with power, telephone, telegraph, and transportation companies bearing the brunt. It was felt repairing Wisconsin telephone lines would cost at least two million. Those who had electric service through the Kewaunee Electric Light Plant were told it would be at least 30 days before power could be restored. A little more than two weeks after the storm, the Peninsular Service Co. completed work on their lines near Kewaunee. That company’s damage estimate was about $11,000 as that loss was the heaviest on the Kewaunee line. Kewaunee’s mercantiles selling lamps, flashlights, candles, lanterns, and lamp chimneys provided a bright spot in the local economy. Those who were just beginning to experience what electricity had to offer were back to the “old days.”

Wisconsin Public Service had eighty men repairing damage about three miles north of Kewaunee near Fred Leudtke’s in Pierce where twenty-two poles were down. Frozen ground made digging holes to sink the new poles difficult. Without the equipment of 100 years later, it took two men an entire day to dig one hole. The damage near Luedtke’s was due to a lack of buffer from the strong Lake Michigan winds.

Kewaunee’s telephone company thought it was looking at the same schedule as the electric companies, however rural telephones were said to be crippled. Both the Ryan and Horseshoe Telephone Companies’ lines and poles were almost completely down. Ryan said it would be spring before any attempt would be made to restore service. Kodan's telephone company saw heavy losses as most poles were damaged. As it was, so many repairmen - including some from Michigan - came to the area that hotels were booming. On March 17, Algoma Record Herald announced the city's telephone service was restored. It would take weeks more in rural areas. What made things more difficult for the city, and the rural areas, was that there was no fund set aside for emergencies.

The loss in area shade trees and orchard trees was unimaginable. Mr. Shestock said his orchard near Algoma was probably damaged for the year, however the J.A. Dworak orchard near Casco escaped with minor problems. The Enterprise said Sturgeon Bay orchards were destroyed, however Algoma Record said a week later that Sturgeon Bay orchards came through the storm unscathed. The State said ice sheets covering fields of winter wheat, rye, clover, and alfalfa were smothering the fields. Without power, if an industry functioned, it was by their own manpower.

The 1922 ice storm interrupted mail service. With telephone and telegraph wires down, communities were isolated, however most adults had spent much of their lives living that way. One-hundred years later, the loss of TV, computers, and cell phone access is enough to melt their grandchildren. Five days after the 1922 storm, the first train left Kewaunee. It was carrying ninety-two sacks of out-going mail. Since February 22, 1922 was George Washington's birthday, mail service was cancelled, however the net day the storm had started and mail service was again curtailed.

The last train reaching Algoma was the night prior to the 1922 storm. Snow and ice buried the tracks to such an extent that the railroad track clearing equipment was powerless. It was a herculean effort by every available man who worked with picks and shovels from Thursday into Monday to clear the tracks.

Several Slovan people were surprised on the Sunday following the storm when they walked to the track to see how the crew was doing cutting up the ice. Rather than watching, they were given shovels and picks to help dig. In all, 24 Slovan men, and two teams, helped and got to Casco Junction the next day, Monday. Reports were that all had sore backs. Green Bay was without railroad service for three days. Salesmen marooned in Algoma traveled to Luxemburg via sleighs, hoping to get on a train there. Algoma residents trying to return to the city were caught in Luxemburg where they remained for a few days.

Heavy snow and ice caused the warehouse behind Algoma Foundry and Machine Company to collapse. Although the loss was small because the contents were saved, the entire warehouse was torn down and rebuilt. Following the storm, Street Commissioner Kinnard spent days sanding the treacherous sidewalks. Walking was not safe.

A heavy load of snow and ice caused the cave-in at hardware and farm machinery merchant, Joseph Drossart & Sons’, machine shed. Numerous hay loaders, mows, and side delivery rakes were in the shed, but were not damaged. It took several men to accomplish the cleanup and repair the roof. The cave-in amounted to hundreds which was not covered by insurance.

The day following the worst of the storm, Thursday, February 25, 1922, the sun rose “bright and beautiful,” a scene hard to describe. Icy though things were, Kewaunee residents were out enjoying a fairyland. The Enterprise felt that those who did not see the beauty amid the destruction would probably not see anything like that for 50 years.

By St. Patrick’s Day 1922, the ice was breaking up and blockading along the Kewaunee River. Clyde Bridge was in danger of being swept away. A week later, ice in the Ahnapee River began breaking up when a huge ice jam formed against the 4^th Street Bridge, which was in danger of being lost. Dynamite was used to break the jam while men worked for an entire day to clear a passage in the river.

Newspaper reports in 1922 say the storm was the worst in the Fox Valley, Oshkosh, Appleton and Chilton, and those places suffered losses of over a million dollars. The City of Kewaunee was the hardest hit area in Kewaunee County. When the Enterprise said residents wouldn’t see a storm like that for 50 years, it was wrong. It took just two days short of one hundred years. When one hundred years marks a special occasion, cake and coffee are generally part of marking the anniversary. Not this time: it was cuss words.

Accessed on February 22, 2022, https://www.weather.gov says the storm of 1922 still stands out as Wisconsin’s worst ice storm. And, as Little Orphan Annie sings, "The sun'll come out tomorrow..."

Sources: Algoma Record Herald, Kewaunee Enterprise, https://www.weather.gov