SUMMIT COUNTY — Back in the winter of 1898, Breckenridge experienced a historic snowstorm that wouldn’t stop for nearly 3 months.
It started on the evening of November 27, 1898 and lasted until February 20, 1899. It snowed every day in between.
“It came after an Indian summer, a very mild summer,” explained Austyn Dineen, with the Breckenridge Tourism Office. “Upwards of 78 days”.
Each day brought additional inches and eventually additional feet. The whole town was basically buried, forcing businesses and the train to halt operations.
“So the train during the snow period wasn’t able to get to Breckenridge for 80 days. So residents had to ration their food, their resources,” Dineen explained.
Folks had to use skis and create paths to get around town.
“They dug tunnels because you couldn’t get to the first floor buildings,” Dineen said. “And we have pictures [from] May [when] Main Street still had 10 feet of snow on it!”
Piles of snow could still be seen during the summer months.
“If you think about it this way, the ski resort wasn’t even open for another 60 years!” Dineen said.