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THE METEORIC SHOWER 1833


The pioneers and early settlers apparently endured a series of major meteorological events in the 1830s. Between the Deep Snow of 1830-31 and Sudden Freeze of 1836 was the Meteoric Shower of 1833. If this account by Judge Stringer in the 1911 History is true the early settlers must have wondered if they should be moving on. And the Sudden Freeze was still to come. It should be remembered that Judge Stringer took this information from the minutes of the Old Settlers meetings and from elderly pioneers and early settlers who were children at the time they occurred.

On the night of Nov. 13, 1833, there occurred in this section of the state, a remarkable shower of meteors, stars apparently falling like rain from the clouds. Mr. Ewing, in his Old Settlers' reminiscences, said: "In November of 1833, was witnessed what was called a meteoric shower, which in grandeur surpassed the great snow. From midnight until daylight, there was a blaze of meteors, as thick as snow-flakes and apparently everything was on fire. Some thought the end of the world had come and many got together and held prayer meetings." Robert Cass, another pioneer, thus described it: "Rising early as was my custom, I had proceeded but a little way from the house, when I discovered all the stars apparently in motion, shooting here and there, with a brilliancy that lit up the heavens and earth. This continued until the sun rose. The Sangamo Journal of Nov. 16, 1833, commenting on this phenomena, said: "At three o'clock, a. m., the whole atmosphere was lit up by what appeared to be the falling of myriads of meteors or shooting stars. At times the appearance was not inaptly compared to the falling of a shower of fire. The air was entirely calm and free from clouds. The scene presented was one of extraordinary sublimity and excited intense admiration in all who beheld it."

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