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A Marc ice storm to remember
Random Thoughts - March 3
Random Thoughts by Wendell Smith

MUSCODA - According to TV reports, last week marked the 100th anniversary of what may have been the worst ice storm to ever strike Wisconsin. On the screen were many pictures of fallen and broken trees and damaged buildings. People who experienced the storm reported the sound of breaking trees was so loud it was as though some type of military battle was in progress.

Of course that storm is no longer remembered except in publications from that period. Recently, this part of Wisconsin was spared from multiple ice storms that did considerable damage in areas not far distant. The icy snow last week resulted in many Southwest Wisconsin schools and some businesses closing Tuesday but the possible predicted bad stuff didn’t show up here.

However, there are many folks in the area, especially those living south of Muscoda, who have vivid memories of a vicious ice storm from the past and its resulting damage. The March 11, 1976 front page of this newspaper consisted of a large photograph of a line of downed electrical and telephone lines between Muscoda and Highland.

The headline was “ICE STORM WAS UTILITY DISASTER” with the story noting, “On the ridges between Muscoda and Highland the devastation was almost unbelievable. Miles of telephone and electrical wires were knocked to the ground with poles that snapped by the hundreds.”

Power and telephone companies said it was the worst storm ever. However, there were local persons who could recall a storm in 1936 they said was just as bad and perhaps worse, but didn’t seem so bad as the farms and villages were not so dependent on electricity at that time.

During the 1976 storm the ice started forming in Highland Thursday morning with the power going off at 4:33 that afternoon. It remained off until 1:30 Sunday afternoon. Some farms in the area were out of power until the following Tuesday.

Firemen from Highland, Muscoda, Blue River and Avoca hauled water to farms for people and livestock. The National Guard moved in with portable generators, going farm to farm for milking cows and to power home freezers long enough so the contents remained in the safe zone for people food.

The Village of Highland was without water for about six hours before a large generator from the Boscobel Telephone Company was brought in to run the pumps and replenish the water supply.

Jerome Laufenberg, Highland Village President, said there was not much of a problem with individual homes becoming cold as most had space heaters that did not require electricity. And some folks moved in with neighbors or relatives until power was restored.

The day following the storm, David Duffey of Duffey’s Service Station made an oil delivery to Highland. I rode along with him in the truck to shoot some photos. We were both amazed at the vast destruction to trees and utilities.