–
WLM | history
OF
1949
Christmas for several decades as Wayne’s wife Rosetta
sent an annual Christmas card and not only thanked
him for saving their lives that day but told of how her
daughter Theresa Ann was doing and the wonderful
young lady she was growing up to be. Each year, Merl
reflected on the time spent with the Yohe family during
the blizzard and always blamed himself for the untimely
demise of Mr. Yohe. I told his sister that I wish I could
express, not only to her brother but her family, that
Merl’s efforts were met by the strong will of a young
man determined to save his young family. I went on to
tell his sister that at some point one of these men would
win this struggle of wills and it happened to be Wayne,
as he found a way to leave the safety of the truck in
an attempt to find assistance. She then told me she
wished her brother could have heard these words and
not struggled all those years with the chain of events
that took place as the blizzard isolated himself and his
passengers from being rescued. This story, like so many
others I have heard, made me realize that so many lived
with the memories of the blizzard. Some were reliving
a story from my book; others were presenting me with
new facts, sharing information that newspaper articles
and eyewitness accounts had missed.
A story in my book tells of one of the many trains
stranded in Green River. In a letter written by Miss
Bonnie Lee Ellington of Omaha to a friend, Mr. Allen
James Kitson of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, Miss Ellington
estimated there were over 1,500 people stranded with
her in Green River from both trains and automobiles
who couldn’t maneuver the drifting snow. Miss
Ellington and her fellow train passengers had left Los
Angeles on January 2 and became stranded in Green
River from January 3-6. In addition to the travelers
there were a variety of athletic teams, including two
hockey teams, two basketball teams and one football
team. A long-standing rumor I had heard from many
a Cowboy fan was that the stranded University of
Wyoming Cowboys basketball team, en route to
Laramie, entertained the Green River community (then
bloated with an additional, stranded population) with a
game against the also stranded Hamlin Pipers basketball
team. An interview with Mr. Kerwin Englehart led
me to believe no game took place. However, Miss
Ellington’s letter noted that a game did take place, “…
between one of the teams on our train and a team from
one of the Streamliners.” Besides the basketball game,
stranded passengers enjoyed a special matinee at the
only theatre in town, attended a dance hosted at the
local high school, and joined in a singing session led by
a group of college boys. Miss Ellington described in her
letter that food was plentiful, only running out of milk.
She concluded her letter, “Although it was a lot of fun, I
don’t think I would care to do it again very soon.”
It was an absolute honor to write The Blizzard of 1949:
Surviving the Storm. As I have visited towns across the
state I am humbled by the turnout at each event and
the overwhelming response to my book. I trust that
I have been able to tell your story to those not only in
Wyoming but across the United States. Thank you for
the support and opportunity to visit your towns and tell
you more about the Blizzard of 1949 and how it affected
the state of Wyoming. W L M
www.wyolifestyle.com
21