EAST COUNTY HISTORY: READER RECALLS BLIZZARD 65 YEARS AGO

By Miriam Raftery

Photo by Nancy Manning: Snow in Descanso in 2012

January 9, 2016 (Descanso) – This week’s snowstorms evoked strong memories for Robert Stille, who wrote to share his recollections from the winter of 1949-50, which he recalls as one of the worst winters on record, at least in modern times.

“ I was a kid of 13 that winter in Descanso,” he writes.  “We had three feet of snow at Descanso and on up to Cuyamaca and Laguna they had six feet of it.  We went up with my dad when the storm first hit, to Harrison Park and evacuated a 9-month pregnant woman and her daughter out of there.  It was snowing so hard we barely made it back down to Descanso.”

Afterwards, he recalls, “They stayed at our house until the snow melted, a couple of months later, and she had the baby, too.  It was an exciting time for my sister and me.”   

Have a true tale from East County's past to share? Contact editor@eastcountymagazine.org.