That image of the blizzard of 1888, also from The Eagle s photo archives, apparently came up in a conversation locally. Zoomed today with a childhood friend who now lives in Pittsfield! a Beschloss follower, Dr. Linda Tribuzio, replied. Sent this to her - with appropriate references, of course!ð
In a recent online feature, The Eagle presented a collection of images from notable blizzards. As staffer Jen Huberdeau wrote in that account, Mysteries from the Morgue: Legendary Snowstorms to hit the Berkshires, the 1888 storm was a killer.
It began the evening of March 11 and lasted 3 days. Reported snow totals vary from 36 to 42 inches. What made the storm so memorable was the huge snowdrifts that came with it and the aftermath. A train arriving from Albany, N.Y., on the Boston and Albany Railroad was caught in the Washington Cut, the name given to a granite outcropping on Washington Mountain 3 miles outside Hinsdale. There, 72 passengers remained for two days as efforts