Over one hundred years ago, the Ozarks experienced one of its biggest winter storms. On the morning of January 12, 1909, Phelps County was hit with the heaviest snow fall it had seen in forty years. The Rolla Herald reported fifteen inches of snow had fallen over twenty-four hours, with an additional inch and a half the next morning. Images of the snowstorm were captured by Phelps County residents, including snowy scenes from St. James. The photographs show frozen power lines, snow covered train tracks, and horse drawn snowplows. Three years later, Phelps County would see its heaviest snow fall to date with eighteen inches falling on February 21, 1912.
Images of the 1909 and 1912 winter storms can be found in the James Memorial Public Library Photograph Collection housed at the Rolla Research Center. The collection contains over 4,000 negatives documenting life in Phelps County from the 1870s to the 1990s.
To explore this collection and more, visit the Springfield Research Center inside MSU’s Meyer Library or find us online at SHSMO.org.