Volume 18 , Issue 5

1887, Kansas Groundhog Day

The Belle Plaine News, of Belle Plaine, Kansas, dated 12 February 1887, Saturday, page 2, presented fragments from the diary of A. G. Forney, of Belle Plaine, concerning a little history and the past nine years of February 2nd, Groundhog Day.

Found on Newspapers.com

The editor wrote, "This day is known as groundhog day. Some people think that if that little animal comes out on this day and sees his shadow, he will return and remain six weeks longer, and that there will be six weeks of winter yet to come. In order to prove the fallacy of this old adage, by your permission, I shall take from my diary little history of this day for the past nine years, and let the reader draw his own conclusions:

1878
February 2n -- Part of the day clear - balance sunshine. This month was a mixture of cold and warm, but the warm predominating and the cold not severe. On the 8th of March was a slight storm, severe enough to call to death eight young pigs. Winter ended on this day. Your estimable grocery man, M. T. Funk, arrived from Victor, Iowa.

1879
February 2nd -- Bright, warm, sunshiny day. The entire month was beautiful weather, not worthy of the name of winter. On March 1st., was quite storm; soon turned off nice, and winter was over.

1880
February 2 -- Warm, clear and nice; temperature 52 degrees above zero. Entire month was exceedingly fine weather; only three or four mornings that the ground was frozen, the coldest morning being 8 degrees above zero, on the 28th. March 14th, the temperature suddenly fell to within 5 degrees of zero, which was the coldest morning since Christmas morning, 1879. On that morning it was 14 degrees below zero.

1881
February 2 -- Quite a frost this morning; turned off warm and clear. The groundhog, unless blind, can see his shadow today. This month proved a wonderful cold one. Infant, on the 11th, we witnessed the most severe storm that has ever visited this country since its settlement. The storm raged all night and all day; terrible strong wind, snow drifting in places from six to eight feet. Several farmers engaged in the cool business of shoveling the snow in order to find their hogs. There was no more cold weather after the 25th.

1882
February 2 -- Clam, clear, warm day. This month was very warm and pleasant, excepting a storm period lasting three days - 19, 20 and 21. During these days there was quite a storm accompanied by considerable thunder and lightning and sleet, forming a glare of ice. The remainder of the month was nice, except muddy. On the 9th of March, snow commenced falling and reached the depth of six inches; froze some on the 10th. The snow soon melted and winter returned from whence it came.

1883
February 2 -- The animal could not see his shadow today; very cloudy and north wind; 6 degrees above zero. This month was a stunner to the woodchuck theory, as it proved a hard winter month. On the 4th, the temperature reached 20 degrees below zero. Snow, ice, wind, rain and mud was the order of the month. I consider it the worst month on feeding cattle I ever saw. Widdick, Stunkle, Potter, Gilchrist, Barner, Troutman and others who fed cattle, will bare witness. March behaved very well.

1884
February 2 -- A warm, clear, calm day. This month was very nice, except about four days during the middle of the month, when we had quite a storm, the temperature ruling down to 4 degrees below zero, on the 14th, which virtually ended the cold weather for '84. March marched along without much complaint.

1885
February 2 -- Clear part of the day and cloudy the balance. On this day the ground was covered with water; very few nice days; the month, on an average was severe and disagreeable; the coldest morning was the 10th, the mercury tallig to 9 degrees below zero - winter ended.

1886
February 2 -- During the forenoon it snowed; afternoon sun shined. This storm commenced on the 1st and was general all over the state. Trains were blockaded; a few people, as well as dumb brutes, were frozen in different parts of the state. ON the 3rd we find the mercury 12 degrees below zero; a song wind playing hide and go seek with the snow drifts; everything presenting a cool and dreary appearance. As I gaze on the flying snow that should have lit in Nebraska and listen to the howling wind, it fairly makes me shudder for the proud title of "Sunny Kansas." This storm broke the back of old winter and he never returned until the 8th and 9th of March, when he bid us farewell, by a dose of snow and sleet.

A. G. Forney went on to say, "If there is anything, whatever, in the groundhog day" I fail to discover it. I do not think the theory is applicable to this country, because the little animal is not an inhabitant.
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