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According to folklore, March is supposed to come in like a lion. But in 1947 it was February that roared. The most severe snowstorm of the winter struck shortly before the first of March. Fourteen inches of snow accompanied by 45 mph winds created drifts eight feet high in the country and up to four feet on the streets of Laurel.
Old timers said the drifts were the worst they had seen in many years. Traffic was at a standstill. Bus and train service was suspended. All area schools were closed as were most businesses.
Miss Ellen Hahne of Coleridge couldn’t have picked a worse time for an attack of appendicitis. During the peak of the storm, Dr. Franklin Osberg drove her to a Sioux City hospital following behind a snow plow. They left Laurel at 11 p.m. and arrived at the hospital at 5 a.m. the next morning.
The snow stopped on Thursday morning and some of the roads were opened. But on Friday, the winds came up again and the roads were blocked once more. Several high school basketball teams who had out-of-town games were forced to hole up for the night and part of the next day in the opposing team’s town.
Snow drifted the Burlington tracks east of Dixon so badly a baggage car in which a number of section workers were riding was derailed. The car left the tracks, rolled over, and caught fire from an overturned kerosene lamp. All but one of the men escaped injury.
A week later another blizzard struck. This one lasted four days. Blinding snow curtailed traffic. High winds broke off a 40-ft. light pole, causing damage to the light plant and power lines. Street lights were knocked out and people living south of Main Street were without power until the next morning.
The Laurel Advocate of February 12 reported the Village Board had approved an ordinance creating Paving District No. 3. This paving district would include 17 blocks, seven intersections, and one alley. Most of the paving would be done in the Goltz Addition on Third, Elm, Alma, and Wakefield streets.
On Feb. 12, the Advocate published a report compiled by the village treasurer which showed Laurel was in debt to the tune of $133,500. These days $133,500 doesn’t sound like a great deal of money, but it would be equivalent to more than $2 million in today’s inflated currency. The report sparked a firestorm of opposition to taking on additional debt for paving more streets. Editor Hill noted members of the Village Board were catching it from all angles. “One must remember that we are a community of only 900,“ said Editor Hill. “We need to whittle the debt down before going any further. Paving is a luxury and life, cars, trucks, and wagons will go on without it.“ In the face of all the opposition, including a petition signed by 65 percent of property owners in the proposed district, the board voted to terminate Paving District No. 3. Additional street paving would have to wait until the 1950s.
Another thing the Board did that got some of the ladies of Laurel up in arms was pass a resolution to sell Lots 7, 8, and 9 in Block 9 of the Goltz Addition to Isadore Sudbeck for $1000.
What got the ladies riled up was that the Laurel Garden Club had spent a great deal of time and money turning the three vacant lots into a small park filled with flowers and shrubs. “Possibly if the person who buys the lots builds a building on it, an agreement may be reached for a roof garden,“ said Editor Hill facetiously. The ladies of the Garden Club didn’t see the humor.
Nor did other members of the community. Another petition signed by 30 percent of the town’s legal voters was presented to the Village Board asking them to revoke the sale of the property.
Board members took heed and not only voted to repeal the sale of the property, but also to ban any future sale for at least one year. The Garden Club’s park was saved at least temporarily. The property is currently occupied by the house that stands at 105 W. Second. It was built around 1963. Whether it was by coincidence or not, two of the incumbent board members, Fay “Pete” Stewart and Isadore Sudbeck were voted off the board in the 1947 municipal election.
In February a couple of “No U-Turn” signs were put up on Main Street. The day after the signs went up Marshal John Taylor saw a car make a U-turn in one of the forbidden intersections. He stopped the car and found the driver was none other than state highway patrolman Fay Robeson. “I’ll let you off with a warning this time,“ said Marshal Taylor with a grin.
