The Big Snow of 1880 saw 64" fall at Seattle during an 8-day period.
News account: "Puget Sound is buried in snow to an unheard-of extent. It is known to be from four to six feet deep at Tacoma and Seattle, where business is wholly suspended by the difficulty of getting about, and travel even by boat is rendered uncertain."
Source: The Vancouver Independent, January 15, 1880
Yesler's Wharf after a blizzard, January 1880 (Seattle). Seattle's record snowstorm began on January 5, 1880. Eight days later, the snow was a record 5 feet 4 inches deep. In this photo, the snow covers the rooftops, ship spars, and hillsides. The owner of the wooden building in the center tried to prop up his building with poles, but the snow was so heavy that the roof collapsed.
Source: Museum of History and Industry
Occidental Hotel. Front St. [1st Ave.] and James Street. Built ca. 1879; destroyed by fire June 6, 1889. Exterior. Brick. Front view. Winter 1880. (Seattle)
Source: Seattle Public Library
