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Days Gone By: Images of legendary Berkshire snowstorms from The Eagle's Archive

By Jennifer Huberdeau, The Berkshire Eagle
Jennifer Huberdeau
Features Editor

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Jan 17, 2022
Jan 17, 2022

Memorable blizzards, nor'easters and snowstorms, from 1888 to the present, in the Berkshires.

Blizzard of 1888 — It took two days to dig out this train in West Pittsfield after the Blizzard of 1888.
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Blizzard of 1888 — A horse and carriage appear after traveling through a snowbank tunnel to the road in Sheffield after the Blizzard of 1888.
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Blizzard of 1888 — North Street following the Blizzard of 1888.
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Blizzard of 1888 — North Street, Pittsfield, following the Blizzard of 1888.
Our photos can make great gifts and mementos. Visit SmugMug to buy this photo on a variety of formats, from mugs to posters.

Blizzard of 1888 — North Street, Pittsfield, following the Blizzard of 1888.
Our photos can make great gifts and mementos. Visit SmugMug to buy this photo on a variety of formats, from mugs to posters.

Blizzard of 1888 — North Street, Pittsfield, following the Blizzard of 1888. March 12, 1888.
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Blizzard of 1888 — North Street, Pittsfield, following the Blizzard of 1888.

Blizzard of 1888 — Pittsfield, Blizzard of 1888.

Blizzard of 1888 — This photo of the 1888 blizzard shows a scene on North Street in Pittsfield.

Blizzard of 1888 — Eagle Street in North Adams on March 13, 1888. The Blizzard of 1888 is one of the worst on record.

Blizzard of 1888 — North Street following the Blizzard of 1888.

Blizzard of 1888 — North Adams scene from the Blizzard of 1888.

Blizzard of 1888 — A scene from North Street following the March 12, 1888 blizzard.

Blizzard of 1888 — Tunnels on North Street in 1888.

Blizzard of 1888 — North Street, Pittsfield, following the Blizzard of 1888.

Blizzard — North Street, Pittsfield, following a blizzard, early 1900s.
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Blizzard of 1915 — Merchants planted poles with sales signs in the giant snowbanks lining North Street after a storm dropped 32 inches on Pittsfield on March 14 and 15, 1915.

Blizzard of 1916 — Snow piles up in front of the Berkshire Museum on March 18, 1916.

Blizzard of 1916 — Kittridgeville, Dalton; March 26, 1916.
Although the Blizzard of 1916 happened on March 8 and 9, the Berkshires continued to be pounded by storms and cold temperatures. By the end of the month, snowbanks were 20 feet high in some areas.

Blizzard of 1916 — Jacob's Ladder, Becket, March 26, 1916.
Although the Blizzard of 1916 happened on March 8 and 9, the Berkshires continued to be pounded by storms and cold temperatures. By the end of the month, snowbanks were 20 feet high in some areas.

Blizzard of 1916 — West Pittsfield Trolley. 1916. The Blizzard of 1916 lasted for two days in March, dumping 20 inches of snow in the Berkshires.

Blizzard of 1916 — Ashley Falls part of Sheffield.1916
Although the Blizzard of 1916 happened on March 8 and 9, the Berkshires continued to be pounded by storms and cold temperatures. By the end of the month, snowbanks were 20 feet high in some areas.

Blizzard of 1916 — Snow removal near a lake. 1916.
The Blizzard of 1916 took place over March 8 and 9 and left 20 inches of snow in its wake.

Blizzard of 1916 — Trolley service came to a standstill in March 1916. Brennan's Cut, between Lanesborough and Cheshire, was shut down for more than three weeks. The 22-foot snowdrifts still remained when the Berkshire Railway Co. broke through on April 12.

Blizzard of 1916 — Top of Brenan's Cut in Lanesborough, March 26, 1916. The cut is full of snow. Taken by Mrs Baxter of Pontoosuc/Broadway.

Blizzard of 1916 — Top of Brenan's Cut in Lanesborough, March 26, 1916. The cut is full of snow.

Blizzard of 1916 — In this photo from March 1916, a cow is seen coming through a tunnel cut into a snowbank.
Although the Blizzard of 1916 happened on March 8 and 9, the Berkshires continued to be pounded by storms and cold temperatures. By the end of the month, snowbanks were 20 feet high in some areas.

Blizzard of 1916 — March 1916
Although the Blizzard of 1916 happened on March 8 and 9, the Berkshires continued to be pounded by storms and cold temperatures. By the end of the month, snowbanks were 20 feet high in some areas.

1920 snowstorm — Jacob's Ladder, Dec. 12, 1920.

1920 snowstorm — Jacob's Ladder, Dec. 12, 1920.

Snowed in — A road is impassable following a storm in this undated photo.

Winter 1920 — Opening of Benedict Road to Crane Avenue in February 1920.

The "Monster Shoveling Bee" of 1920 — Pittsfield Mayor Louis A. Merchant shovels at the corner of North and West streets at the Berkshire Life Insurance Building on March 8, 1920. A two-day blizzard brought freezing rain that kept the trolley service from clearing the tracks when snow began to fall.
Merchant put out a call for "minutemen of the pick and shovel" to turn out and volunteer to shovel the city's trolley tracks. About 700 volunteers showed up just on North Street.

1920 snowstorm — North Street, Pittsfield, 1920.

Shoveling North Street — This photo from March 8, 1920, shows people gathering on North Street in a massive effort to clean the streets after a storm.
The day prior, Pittsfield Mayor Louis A. Merchant put out a call for "minutemen of the pick and shovel" to turn out and volunteer to shovel the city's trolley tracks. About 700 volunteers showed up just on North Street.

The 'Monster Shoveling Bee' — Men shovel out the trolley tracks on North Street following on March 8, 1920.
The day prior, Pittsfield Mayor Louis A. Merchant put out a call for "minutemen of the pick and shovel" to turn out and volunteer to shovel the city's trolley tracks. About 700 volunteers showed up just on North Street.

The 'Monster Shoveling Bee' — Men shovel snow from the corner of North and Depot streets, near the F.W. Woolworth store, during on March 8, 1920.
The day prior, Pittsfield Mayor Louis A. Merchant put out a call for "minutemen of the pick and shovel" to turn out and volunteer to shovel the city's trolley tracks. About 700 volunteers showed up just on North Street.

The 'Monster Shoveling Bee' — On March 8, 1920 Pittsfield Mayor Louis A. Merchant joined crews from the city's mills and stores from Pittsfield to Dalton to shovel out the trolley park, about 1,800 in all, who volunteered their services.
The day prior,Merchant put out a call for "minutemen of the pick and shovel" to turn out and volunteer to shovel the city's trolley tracks.

Shoveling North Street — Pittsfield Mayor Louis A. Merchant and others on North Street near Depot Street on March 8, 1920.

Shoveling North Street — Men shovel snow from the corner of North and West streets, near the Berkshire Life Building, on March 8, 1920.

Shoveling North Street — Men shovel snow from the front of the England Brothers building on North Street, Pittsfield, on March 8, 1920.
The day prior, Pittsfield Mayor Louis A. Merchant put out a call for "minutemen of the pick and shovel" to turn out and volunteer to shovel the city's trolley tracks. About 700 volunteers showed up just on North Street.

Shoveling North Street — Pittsfield Mayor Louis A. Merchant and others on North Street near Depot Street on March 8, 1920.

Shoveling North Street — Men shovel snow from the corner of North and West streets, near the Berkshire Life Building, during the winter of 1920.
The day prior, Pittsfield Mayor Louis A. Merchant put out a call for "minutemen of the pick and shovel" to turn out and volunteer to shovel the city's trolley tracks. About 700 volunteers showed up just on North Street.

Shoveling North Street — Pittsfield Mayor Louis A. Merchant and others on North Street near Depot Street during the winter of 1920.

Blizzards — Renne Avenue, Pittsfield following a blizzard.

1940 Snowstorm — A view of the main village of Florida following an ice storm in the 1940s.

1946 Snowstorm — From under a snowdrift twice his height, Howard Derby, 7, of Erwin Street, Pittsfield, digs out mailboxes on Feb. 26, 1946. Snowdrifts of 10 to 15 feet in height formed overnight as winds of up to 60 miles per hour persisted for over 12 hours.

Stuck on Union Street — Cars line up on Union Street in North Adams in 1945.

Plowing the roads — Clearing the roads after a storm in 1945.

1949 storm clean up — Plows clear the streets in North Adams following a major snowstorm in 1949.

Firefighters shovel out luncheonette — North Adams firefighters dig out The Shanty Luncheonette on State Street in North Adams.

Icicles on the Hairpin Turn — Large icicles form on the ledges that run along the Hairpin Turn in Clarksburg in the 1950.

Climbing through snowbanks — A little girl makes her way to the street via a tunnel made through the snowbanks in North Adams, 1952.

Monument Square 1952 — Monument Square in North Adams in 1952.

Snow removal — This photograph from 1969 shows the snow removal process on Eagle Street in Pittsfield.

Wahconah Falls Road — This March 13, 1958 photo is labeled Wahconah Falls Road, Dalton.

A winter drive — A drive down a road in Windsor falling a snowstorm in 1945.

Tow truck rescue — An Aladco truck slid off the road following a bad snowstorm in 1970.

Can you find the phone booth? — "Phone Booth" in the St. Anthony's Parking Lot in North Adams. 1971

On the trail — Snowdrifts were high in 1974 at the Eastern Summit of the Mohawk Trail in Florida.

Bad road conditions — A storm in 1975 made road conditions so bad that travelers became stuck on Eagle Street in North Adams.

Could this be the reason? — A late April snowstorm knocked out power for 22 hours in parts of North Berkshire in 1977. Downed power lines, like this one in Clarksburg, required Mass Electric to call in at least 40 linemen from Brockton and New York to make repairs.

Mohawk Trail — On the Mohawk Trail following a storm in 1977.

Blizzard of 1978 — This photograph from February 7, 1978 shows that storm in full force as a person cleans off their car.

Blizzard of 1978 — Monument Square in North Adams following the Blizzard of 1978,

Blizzard of 1978 — A view of Main Street, North Adams, following the Blizzard of 1978.

Blizzard of 1978 — Here is a view of North Street in the Blizzard of 1978 looking south near the old Palace Theater. Photo by Joel Librizzi

Jennifer Huberdeau

Features Editor

Jennifer Huberdeau is The Eagle's features editor. Prior to The Eagle, she worked at The North Adams Transcript. She is a 2021 Rabkin Award Winner, 2020 New England First Amendment Institute Fellow and a 2010 BCBS Health Care Fellow.

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