Stratford, and the Great Blowout of November 25, 1950

  

The Great Blowdown was a powerful rain and windstorm.  Some described it as a Nor’easter, and others a hurricane.   It occurred on November 25, 1950.  Most of the damage came to the western and central Adirondacks, with winds exceeding over 100 mph and rain.  Depending on the account it was estimated that 420,000 acres or in some reports 800,000 acres of timber were severely damaged or destroyed by the wind.   It shut down roads and trails across the park.   In many cases it changed the landscape of the Adirondack Park. 

 

The storm also affected those in the park.  It was the last weekend of hunting season, and many hunters were in the forest.  Hikers and campers also were caught in the storm.  Many were trapped by the fallen trees.

 

In 1951 the Legislature gave the Conservation Department (pre-DEC) the ability to sell the felled timber to private contractors who were hired to clean up the debris caused by the windstorm.  It was felt leaving the fallen logs was a fire hazard.   There were an estimated two million cords of softwood, and 40 million feet of hardwood knocked down by the storm.  Allowing private contracts into the Adirondacks was quite controversial. The Adirondacks, known as Forever Wild, did not allow loggers to work in protected forests.   It was argued that it would be difficult to determine if the contractors were just clearing the land of the fallen trees or also taking down trees. 

 

So, what was the damage in Stratford?      As in most reports about the storms impact on the Adirondacks, the Stratford or southwestern areas of the Adirondacks were not mentioned.    From the map, the most impacted areas of Stratford were the northwest corner and the north end of Pleasant Lake.   Of two local description of the north shore of Pleasant Lake years later,  an account from a hunter's family, and an online devastation map provided a clearer insight into how the storm impacted Stratford.  One  mentioned his father and other family members were up in the area hunting.  They have first accounts and photos of the devastation.  Another  mentioned that he and his father hiked the north shore area of Pleasant Lake and could see the aftermath years later of the fallen trees that had been uprooted. 

 

Do you or your family members have any recollections of the 1950 Great Blowdown?