Unprecedented Cold in the Peach Belt 1899

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Saugatuck Douglas Historical Society

40 DEGREES BELOW ZERO. Unprecedented Cold in the Peach Belt. Never again will the people of this part of Michigan vaunt themselves of the peculiar advantages of this section as a fruit belt. Never again will they boast of impossible climatic conditions or the thermal influences of Lake Michigan. Our heads have been humbled to the dust and frozen there. Bewildered and unmurmuring we pass the coign of vantage to Calgary, Winnepeg, and Medicine Hat. "Vanity, vanity, all is vanity." A week ago we felicitated ourselves on the excellent outlook for a peach crop, and the hardy condition of the buds, calculating their ability to withstand a temperature of twelve or fifteen degrees below zero; and we scorned the probability of so low a temperature as that. We scorn no more. Out of the polar regions stalked the frost king and in his trail followed destruction to both buds and trees. When people looked at their thermometers last Saturday morning they were obliged to search hitherto unfamiliar parts of that instrument to find the mercury, and when it was finally located it indicated a temperature of 25 to 30 degrees below zero. All day long the keen frost held the mercury at the minus point and on Sunday morning, at some parts of the village, an amazing temperature of 45 degrees below zero was indicated. "What a fall was that, oh, my country men!" To say nothing of the buds, which were gone beyond hope when the temperature fell to the twenties, the most sanguine of our peach growers anticipated nothing less than the destruction of their orchards. They recall that in the '70s a temperature of only 24 degrees below zero devastated the peach orchards of Allegan county. What is there, then to hope for with a temperature below 30 and that long continued? The extent of the calamity to this section has not yet been realized. Men, who will be losers, to the extent of thousands of dollars, laugh in the face of impending ruin, and pass jokes with each other, buying and selling their orchards at a nickle apiece. But only too soon will be all realize that is it no joking matter, nor will one year suffice to remedy the loss. Six years of patient, plodding toil and Spartan frugality will not put this country back where it was a week ago.

40 DEGREES BELOW ZERO. Unprecedented Cold in the Peach Belt. Never again will the people of this part of Michigan vaunt themselves of the peculiar advantages of this section as a fruit belt. Never again will they boast of impossible climatic conditions or the thermal influences of Lake Michigan. Our heads have been humbled to the dust and frozen there. Bewildered and unmurmuring we pass the coign of vantage to Calgary, Winnepeg, and Medicine Hat. "Vanity, vanity, all is vanity." A week ago we felicitated ourselves on the excellent outlook for a peach crop, and the hardy condition of the buds, calculating their ability to withstand a temperature of twelve or fifteen degrees below zero; and we scorned the probability of so low a temperature as that. We scorn no more. Out of the polar regions stalked the frost king and in his trail followed destruction to both buds and trees. When people looked at their thermometers last Saturday morning they were obliged to search hitherto unfamiliar parts of that instrument to find the mercury, and when it was finally located it indicated a temperature of 25 to 30 degrees below zero. All day long the keen frost held the mercury at the minus point and on Sunday morning, at some parts of the village, an amazing temperature of 45 degrees below zero was indicated. "What a fall was that, oh, my country men!" To say nothing of the buds, which were gone beyond hope when the temperature fell to the twenties, the most sanguine of our peach growers anticipated nothing less than the destruction of their orchards. They recall that in the '70s a temperature of only 24 degrees below zero devastated the peach orchards of Allegan county. What is there, then to hope for with a temperature below 30 and that long continued? The extent of the calamity to this section has not yet been realized. Men, who will be losers, to the extent of thousands of dollars, laugh in the face of impending ruin, and pass jokes with each other, buying and selling their orchards at a nickle apiece. But only too soon will be all realize that is it no joking matter, nor will one year suffice to remedy the loss. Six years of patient, plodding toil and Spartan frugality will not put this country back where it was a week ago.

Name/Title

Unprecedented Cold in the Peach Belt 1899

Entry/Object ID

2022.03.56

Scope and Content

Photocopies of pages from the Douglas Weekly Record newspaper, Feb. 16, 1899. "40 degrees below zero - Unprecedented cold in the peach belt." Front page and partial page-two story

Context

Reporting on cold weather that devastated the peach crop in 1899.

Collection

1870 Fruit growing, farming, agriculture

Cataloged By

Winthers, Sally

Acquisition

Accession

2022.03

Notes

Item originally cataloged as 95-44-1

Dimensions

Height

14 in

Width

8-1/2 in

Location

Box

024 Basket Factory, Fruit Exchange, Fruit Growing

Create Date

May 25, 2022

Update Date

October 21, 2025