The Storm of January 1971 at North Ashfield P.S.

The old, four-room school built in 1960. There was no gym, only two washrooms, a small teacher’s room and a furnace room. This gives some indication as to how small this space was that housed the students during the winter storm.

Arriving at school on Tuesday morning, January 25, 1971, I had no idea that some of us would not see home again until late Thursday afternoon, as we were storm-stayed in the school during one of the worst storms of the past 25 years.

The school day started as usual with little indication of what was ahead of us, but it was not long until we noticed that the wind was rising, and snow was falling.

In about an hour, the buses were summoned, and the children were prepared for home.

After the arrival of the first two buses, we anxiously waited for the Brookside bus – by this time the storm was worsening rapidly.

About 11:45 a.m., Doug Drennan arrived with his load and immediately Mrs. Lois Farrish started to load her Grade 1 and Grade 2 children.

Watching them closely, she noticed a tiny Grade 2 girl blown out of the line, and by the time she reached her, she was helpless in a snowbank against the school. A tragedy was averted, and Mrs. Farrish carried her back into the school.

We decided then to unload the buses and take everyone back into the school and wait for the storm to abate.

This meant we had the Grade 7 and 8 students from Brookside as well as the Grades 1-6 students at North Ashfield Public School.

The first afternoon seemed as though it would never end. Jim MacKenzie and George MacDonald arrived with the snowplows and offered to go to Lochalsh store for supplies as it was obvious we would be in the school for the night.

The children were very excited and restless, so we decided to serve a supper of sandwiches and cookies at about 5 p.m.

Our staff was most grateful for the help given by the three bus drivers (Mrs. Anne Wiser, Doug Lackey and Doug Drennan) in preparing and serving lunch to the 120 pupils.

A long evening stretched ahead of us. Around 7 p.m. the hydro went out.

Searching the cupboards by match light, we discovered one candle and one small flashlight.

The younger children were talked into preparing for the night on the promise of a chocolate bar each, when they had settled down.

Gordon Robb arrived about 8 p.m. with a box of candles and a bag of blankets brought from his house and that of Jim West.

He lived over half a mile from the school, and it is a miracle that he made it to the school with the heavy load that he was carrying.

However, we were indeed grateful, as the school was beginning to cool down by this time.

Our next visit was Donald Simpson on a snowmobile with another load of blankets. Jack MacKenzie arrived soon afterwards to take his daughter home, and he also brought more blankets.

Gayle, who was in Grade 1, had no intention of going home. She wasn’t going to miss her chocolate bar and all the excitement.

She was allowed to stay, which was a fortunate decision as a belt on the snowmobile broke, and Jack had to walk home. By the time the storm was over, his Skidoo was buried in front of the school.

Much to our relief, the hydro came back on about 9:30 p.m. The little ones were very good and settled down without a whimper – even our one little Kindergarten boy from Brookside, who was a model of good behaviour all the time we were storm-stayed.

The older ones were allowed to watch television or play games until midnight.

Mrs. Farrish and Mrs. Mowbray kept a watchful eye all night on their children, who were sleeping on the floor in their classrooms – seeing that they were covered and reassuring anyone who awakened.

The rest of the children slept in the halls or in the extra classroom, as Room #3 was too drafty and impossible to heat. I kept watch on the boys as one Grade 8 boy was determined that none of the older boys would sleep.

Every time I left the hall to tour the school, he would have every boy awakened when I got back.

About 4:30 a.m. we noticed the school cooling off, and upon investigation we discovered the furnace had shut off.

We tried, unsuccessfully, for about 15 minutes to get it going, and then I decided to call our service man for advice.

Doug Lackey, who has had some experience with furnaces talked to him and he suggested we try cleaning the electric eye (a safety device on the furnace). We did this and it was music to our ears to hear it going again.

Finally, morning came and at about 7 a.m. we started preparing breakfast, which consisted of half an apple, half an orange, and a good supply of crackers spread with cheese, jam or peanut butter.

After breakfast, our faithful snowplough operators returned and once more plowed a trail to the store with Donald Simpson following in his car to get us supplies.

As the store was out of bread, Donald brought us eight loaves from his home.

Dinner again consisted of sandwiches, cookies and chocolate bars.

The time passed much more quickly on Wednesday, January 26, as the waiting and wondering what we should do, and we were kept busy preparing food, answering the phone and in general organization.

On Wednesday afternoon, when the storm had let up slightly, Jim Simpson came with his Skidoo, and we started some children on their way home.

Those who lived within a half mile of the school, or had relatives close by, were taken two at a time to their homes.

Two of the children had Skidoo suits, and these suits were worn home, then brought back to the school several times for two more children to wear.

Everyone had been warned not to set foot outside the school, except to go with Jim on his snowmobile, and even then, under supervision.

We were quite alarmed and angry on discovering that a Grade 8 boy, accompanied by a Grade 5 boys, had slipped out of the school, unbeknownst to us.

At this time, we were hearing reports over CKNX Radio of lost persons, and even deaths, from exposure.

However, within 10 minutes, as we were decided what we should do, we received a phone call from a close neighbour telling us the two boys had arrived there.

Doug Lackey, who happened to answer the phone, told him to ‘take a stick to them and lock them in the cellar’. Our anger over their actions was surpassed only by our relief that they were safe.

For supper Wednesday night, our main dish was soup and soda biscuits. We were most grateful to Mrs. Jack MacKenzie for a box of home-made cookies. The kindness of all the neighbours was indescribable.

Wednesday evening passed uneventfully with all the children being most co-operative and helpful. Again, a chocolate bar at bedtime was a big help.

About midnight we looked out and saw that the weather had cleared.

The bus drivers talked over the situation with the snowplough operators, and it was decided to start transporting the children home, as they thought it could be just a temporary lull.

I phoned the Board of Education office in Clinton and received an understandably reluctant permission to do so, as it turned out it was the best weather we had for getting them home.

Immediately, we were on the phone planning, where necessary, for the parents to meet the bus with snowmobiles.

Two plows were working and plowed the 12th Concession out to Highway 21. They came back, and the bus, with two bus drivers and several children, followed the plow to the highway, taking many to their homes.

Another group of children was prepared for home, and this time the bus went as far as Kintail. By this time the storm was raging again, so we called a halt to our bus operations, and the drivers came back into the school for the night.

About 30 children were still in the school. We were pleased to see Thelma Drennan, who came back with Doug from Kintail, as she had been staying in a house there that had no heat.

After coffee and a light lunch at about 4 a.m. in the morning of Thursday, January 27, we decided to try and get a little rest.

Most of the lights were out, all the children were sleeping, and we were tip-toeing around, picking out a spot on the floor, when suddenly the piercing ring of the school bell was heard.

One boy stood up and stood at attention, several others sat up sleepily rubbing their eyes, and Doug Lackey came out of the teacher’s room with a startled expression on his face.

Lackey had accidentally rung the bell when he had intended to switch off the light. We had a much-needed laugh over that.  In the morning, none of the students even remembered hearing it.

Early the next morning of January 27, while Mrs. Mowbray was resting on the floor, two little girls who were early risers, came over to where she was lying. She overheard the following conversation:

#1: “Is she dead?”

#2: “Maybe, but I don’t think so.”

#1: “Let’s cover her up anyway.”

The two youngsters carefully proceeded to cover her up. Youth seem to be prepared to face anything.

About 7 a.m. we were all up and anxiously watching the progress of the storm. We were very glad that our family was reduced to 30 as our supplies were running low, and there wasn’t much improvement in the weather.

Soup and soda crackers may not be considered breakfast fare, but no complaints were heard as we served them.

Our ever-helpful snowplough operators were again contacted, and it was decided to leave the school as soon as Highway 86 was plowed.

In the meantime, Doug Drennan organized a cleaning brigade, and the school was tidied up before we left.

All parents were again contacted and informed of our plans. It was close to noon when we loaded the children on the buses and locked the doors of the school. All the children were safely home or billeted within an hour and a half. What a wonderful feeling to relax, knowing our ordeal was over.

The Principal and staff at North Ashfield Public School will always remember the many thoughtful acts performed by the neighbours, the much appreciated efforts of the snowplough operators, the co-operation of the parents, the encouragement received from the office of the Huron County Board of Education, the helpfulness of almost all the pupils and the assistance received from the three bus drivers who were storm-stayed in the school.

In one instance, this resulted in considerable loss and hardship at home.

It was an experience to be remembered, but hopefully, not repeated.