Recalling The Columbus Day Storm of 1962

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John Gray October 12, 2010 12:53 pm (Pacific time)

I was 12 years old when the storm arrived in Clear Lake just north of Keizer.  My older brother was home with a broken foot in a cast from football.  We lost huge fir trees, one of which barely missed a neighbor’s home.  My mother was home with the four of us kids trying to keep the younger ones calm.  We lost electricity like everybody else and were without for 9 days.  Fortunately, we had a large supply of firewood and my dad had brought home a little stove from Montgomery Ward that ran on propane.  Power lines were down everywhere, snap, crackle and popping.  A neighbor’s mobile home ended up on its top across the way from us.  I got my first gun on this day from Montgomery Ward that my dad had picked up.  I still don’t know how he got home with all the power lines and trees that were down.  The winds were unbelievingly strong and it was all my mother could do to drag me back into the house.  What did I know.

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Reuben Pruett Sr. January 14 - 2010 January 14, 2010 1:12 am (Pacific time)

I'm 5 years old, my mom tells my 9 year old brother to go get the paper (Quarter mile driveway across a bridge)The wind was blowing real hard and lighting let up the dark night. My brother cried he didn't want to go get the paper because of the lighting and wind. Frustrated, my mom tells my 6 year old brother to go get the paper but he too cries. Still frustrated my mom says all you boys go get the paper. That's 9, 6, 5, and 4 year olds. I'm standing at the door with my hands on the knob waiting for my brothers to get their shoes on, I try to open the door but can't seem to get it open. Lighting lights up the night and I can see the floor light up under the door from the lighting, the door is rattling in my hands, To my right I look out the living room windows and see the apple trees rip from the ground by the roots and blow away, A large thunder clap then a large boom as our garage blows off it's cocreate foundation and slams into our house. My dad yells at me DON'T OPEN THAT DOOR, don't anyone open that door. As I look back I wonder if an Angel was holding that door shut on me. Aberdeen, Wash

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Bud Gray July 8, 2009 11:58 am (Pacific time)

I was 4 at the time living in Salem Oregon off Kale Ave NE Salem. I remember my mother driving and we stopped at a stop light where the lights were swinging so hard you could not read them. She was scared and it was getting dark. She finally made it to Kale Ave. off 99E and it was pretty dark then from the storm. The wind was blowing so hard you could feel the car fighting it. We came across a large fir tree that had fallen directly across the road (Kale) and was blocking us from getting home. We lived about a mile down Kale but mom did'nt want to walk home at that time because of telephone poles down and still very windy. So she turned around backing up into a barn driveway and I remember opening my door (she must have asked me too in order to help her see behind the car) and the wind was blowing so hard I could not shut it. Mom had to get out of the car and shut it for me. We then drove back south bound on 99E towards a little market (which was owned by the Frey (Bill) family). We then called my father who was at home with my sister (too bad we didnt have cell phones) to walk all the way to the store and drive us home. Dad had to leave my sister (age 7) at home alone to walk several miles to the store to drive mom and I home. We had to drive the back roads to Corden Rd. (may have been called Hood View at that time) which was gravel then. I remember dad having to drive around the telephone poles and wires which were sparking on the ground like snakes. I was really scared that we were going to run over them. Finally we all made it home safely.

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Terry Geiger October 13, 2007 9:12 am (Pacific time)

I was almost 5 at the time. I remember us 4 kids hanging on to our mother as she was sooo scared. I remember looking out the front door waiting for dad to come home from work, and seeing a huge old oak tree topple in front of our eyes. I remember my mom crying from being so scared. Luckily no trees were upwind of our house. This was in Buena Vista.

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Tim McFarland October 12, 2007 4:03 pm (Pacific time)

This is my earliest memory. The storm happened six weeks before I turned 4. We lived in Keizer, close to the river, and mom, a neighbor girl, and I were watching the trees blow around. Suddenly, we heard a crash. The fireplace chimney had fallen into the living room. We were so lucky not to be injured!

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Lee Mason October 12, 2007 8:28 am (Pacific time)

I bought a place in Dayton Oregon 10 days before the storm. I was relying on my Orchards of Royal Anne cherries, Prunes and Filberts to help pay down the mortgage. The prune orchard was totally decimated, but the Cherries were OK, filberts were 50% OK. This made it a struggle to make my mortgage payments, but I did manage to hang onto the place. Several barns in the area were completely demolished Leebm29

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