Winter Freeze

In a diary she began in 1875, Fannie Miller of Lodi wrote the following entries about her family's enjoyment of the 1912 freeze of Seneca Lake.

 

Feb. 11 - "Lake freezing over. Charlie Galloup came near falling in."

Feb. 14 - "Nice day, wind blows from South. Harry and Nell and Nina and Jim down to the lake. Harry went across twice, Nina once. Great hustling around for skates. Nice sleighing, people going down by sleighloads to see the ice."

Feb. 16 - "Beautiful, bright, warm day. Jim and Anah stopped for me to go to the lake with them. Harry skated across with Anah. Had a chair rigged on sled. She is perfectly delighted. Harry took me out about half way. The ice is fine, but I didn't want to go any farther."

Feb. 18 - "Warm and sunshine's thawing fast. Young folks all went to the lake. No one went across of my family though lots of people crossed on skates and on foot. Ice is getting somewhat soft and water on top from creeks. Man drowned near Watkins. Fell in air hole."

Fannie Miller was the daughter of Harrison Miller and Mary Halsey. (courtesy of Pat Smith Orcutt, daughter of James "Dellie" Smith)