Victory Park
1201 N. Pershing Ave.
Stockton, CA  95203
(209) 940-6324   
info@hagginmuseum.org

The Central Valley, known for its mild winters, has seen a handful of snow storms over the last century. These are more than the occasional flurry of fast-melting flakes. These storms provided enough ammunition for quality snowball fights, tubby snowmen and ice skating on the Stockton Slough before the California weather caught up. This mini-display demonstrates that Stockton has known true white winters, even if only for one day at a time.

The earliest storm on record in Stockton occurred Dec. 2, 1848. Other notable storms were in 1874, 1880, 1885, 1916 and 1922, of which one noted “There was snow enough on the shady side of Weber Avenue for snowballs for three days.”

Most of the photographs in this mini-display were taken on New Year’s Day 1916, when Stocktonians saw more than seven inches of snowfall. Due to advances in photography, many of these 1916 images are candid shots taken by amateur photographers.

The Record: Haggin display highlights Stockton's rare white winters (featuring nine photos in slideshow)