Chicago Blizzard 1967 Radio Reports Part I

This is the first of four clips of a broadcast from the 1967 Chicago blizzard. The broadcast came from WCGO and WTAS studios in Chicago Heights Illinois and surrounding south suburban Chicago areas. The audio was originally recorded on a reel-to-reel by a Crete resident. The reel and recorder were later auctioned off when the resident had passed on and we have been lucky to obtain it. The video was done with stills of roughly half actual pictures from that blizzard (Chicago Tribune's "Big Snow", January, 1967) and half random pictures not necessarily from the blizzard, but there for filler, hopefully to make this all so not boring. Sorry if the video is boring, but at least the audio portion is genuinely from that time. It may not all completely jive together, but we tried our best for it to. Please enjoy!

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Chicago
• blizzard
• 1967
• winter
• January
• WCGO
• WTAS
• Heights
• Sauk
• Village
• Cook
• county
• Will
• snow
• radio
• nostalgia

[collegeman1988]

I was conceived about 9 months after this snowstorm, and I was born in Chicago. My parents didn't go to work on the day of the snowstorm . . . hmm, I wonder what they did that day?

[boonshit]

@collegeman1988 ...guess they had some time on their hands that day lol! Thanks for sharing the story Collegeman; always like when these clips stir up stories and this was a good one!

[musicmom1212]

OMG, this is awesome! I was 8 and remember it very well. I lived on Crawford ave across from Rich Central. My dad pulled me on a sled down the middle of Crawford Ave. to the grocery store on 183rd and Crawford in Country Club Hills. It was fun and scary at the same time.

[boonshit]

@musicmom1212 Thanks for sharing Musicmom! i wanted to share these but i Love the stories i get back, especially the one close to home for me. i'm familiar with the area; i lived in P.F. and Chicago Hts! i'll bet that was a fun and scary time! i wasn't born then but my bro gave me an old reel player and reels when i was eleven in the mid-eighties and one of the reels had this broadcast on it.  Being a big snow fan i would play it every year hoping for a winter like that; then 2011 happened!

[pfriverrat]

great videos, but very scary, how much it sounds like when i was plowing 2/1-6/2011. only thing, i moved from park forest to elk grove village. Thanks so much for these, i remember hearing the stories from my grandmother and parents and uncles about this storm. how small of me to think, i would never come close to seeing it, let alone being the guy out keeping things open.

[boonshit]

@pfriverrat Excellent story Pfriv! glad to have read it! i wasn't born yet for the 67 blizzard either; my brother gave me this old reel player and a bunch of reels when i was eleven and this broadcast was one one of them. i've always loved snow and every year since i would listen to it, hoping for a winter like that. i guess You and me both finally got our experience with it this year huh?! i used to live in Park Forest too so i know the area; what an experience for You driving the plow!

[retroexplosion1]

These recordings are very important historic record. I was born a week after this storm in the south west suburbs.

[dmwierz459]

This is pretty cool. WCGO was our local radio station in Chicago Heights, and the studio was located in our local shopping center where our mom did her shopping, just about 0.3 miles from our home. I remember this day very well; hearing the initial forecast for 4" of snow on WCGO while eating my cereal...then being sent home from Greenbriar Elementary school at lunch. I then remember my dad walking home from the Flossmoor IC station 'cuz he couldn't get his car out of the parking lot.

[dillysgirl4ever]

I was 6 years old when this snowstorm hit. I remember going out and suddenly landing in snow that was up to my neck!!! I was SCARED!!!! Something I will never forget!

[collegeman1988]

@boonshit Oops! I meant to say that I was BORN about 9 months after this snowstorm. Anytime I've asked my mother what my parents did that day, she denies that they worked to create me since they couldn't go to work.

[boonshit]

@meezerlover Wow! That sounded like a great time actually. This was a big reason i wanted to put these together and post them; i wanted to share it all but i Love the real stories about it that i get, especially the one that are so close to home for me. i used to live in Park Forest myself, in the 90's. Thank You for sharing Meezerlover, and glad You enjoyed!

[boonshit]

@nursesoflosangeles Thank You for pointing that out Nurses! i know that not all the pictures jived completely with everything; did the best i could with the stills i found; just wish i had all pictures from the actual blizzard here; the audio however is completely genuine.