Blizzard Blasts From the Past

Capitol pages are engaged in a Republican vs. Democrat snowball fight in this undated photo.
Capitol pages are engaged in a Republican vs. Democrat snowball fight in this undated photo.
By Andrew Breiner
Posted January 22, 2016 at 12:21pm

As what is predicted to be a record-breaking blizzard bears down on Washington and residents prepare for a potential one to two feet of snow, we combed through the Roll Call photo archives to see how Washington has handled being covered in snow in years past.  

Some of these photos’ subjects and dates can’t be pinpointed, but, they provide an encouraging picture of the city weathering and surviving and even having fun in previous storms, which we will begin to do again in this one.  

Capitol Hill police have been criticized for being Grinches toward  Recent controversy has centered on sledding on the Hill, but photo evidence shows both skiing and sledding in previous decades, including by members of Congress.  

Credit: Pen Wilson
Credit: Pen Wilson
Members ski on the Hill in promotional event, 1980's.
Members ski on the Hill in a promotional style event in the 1980s. 
Credit: Dev O'Neill
Credit: Dev O'Neill
(L-R) Two unidentified men, Sen. Spark M. Matsunaga (D-HI), and Rep. Bill Young (R-FL), probably from the late 1970s.
Sen. Spark M. Matsunaga, kneeling, and Rep. C.W. Bill Young, right, in the late 1970s.
"Caught In The Act" shows the four children of Rep. Bill Dickinson, axs in hand, looking for the perfect Christmas tree. 
Snow covers cars in February 1978.
Credit: G. Robert Holmes
Credit: G. Robert Holmes


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