1962 — Jan 21, Mt. Elbert Avalanche hits homes, Twin Lakes, near Leadville, CO — 7

–7 ABC News, Clayton Sandell. “Five Snowboarders Dead in Colorado Avalanche.” 4-20-2013.
–7 AP. “Authorities identify skier, 4 snowboarders killed in Colorado avalanche.” 4-21-2013.
–7 Chickering, Sharon. “Twin Lakes Tragedy.” Colorado Central Magazine, Jan 2000.
–7 6 dead, 1 missing. AP. “Mt. Elbert Avalanche Kills 6, Boy 10, Still Missing.” 1-22-1962, 1.
–7 Denver Post. “Colorado avalanche at Loveland Pass ranks among…deadliest.” 4-21-2013.

Narrative Information

Jan 22, AP: “Twin Lakes, Colo. (AP) – A massive avalanche slithered down Colorado’s highest mountain in the predawn darkness Sunday engulfing three ranch homes and a cabin. Six bodies, including four children, were recovered. A 10-year-old boy, Mike Adamich, was missing. His parents, Mr. and Mrs. William Adamich, were dug out of the giant snowslide alive.

“Rescuers recovered the bodies of William Adamich Jr., 8, brother of the missing boy; G. L. Shelton, 50; his wife, Marie, 40; their son, Steve, 14, and daughters, Linda, 9, and Vickie, 8.

“The white torrent cascaded for 3½ miles down the slopes of 14,431-foot Mt. Elbert, in the central Rockies about 140 miles southwest of Denver. Karen Stephens, a resident of Twin Lakes Lodge, said the avalanche was about 300 yards wide at the bottom of its run near Lake Creek. The crest of the snowslide, she said, was about 10-to-15 feet when it swept over the buildings. They were about midway down the 3½ mile slide. ‘People living right near there didn’t hear much noise,’ Miss Stephens said. ‘It sounded like snow sliding off a roof, they said.’

“Help came quickly after the avalanche was discovered about 8 a.m., two and one half hours after it struck. Gut it was not until 11 a.m. that heavy mechanical equipment reached the scene. Rescuers reached Mr. and Mrs. Adamich between 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. They heard Mrs. Adamich’s faint cries for help. An air hose was poked into the snow around the remains of their home. The couple was found under a piece of the shattered house that held snow and debris off them.

“Sheriff Clarence McMurrough said the suction of the slide apparently had pulled the two Adamich children out of the residence.

“‘Parts of the houses were a quarter-mile away from where they stood originally, just scraps,’ said Don Stephens, owner of Twin Lakes Lodge. ‘When I first came to the scene, it looked like an ordinary snowslide. Pieces of logs, trees and rocks were sticking out of the snow. In the meadows a quarter-mile from the road I could see parts of the houses – walls, things like that – jutting up from the snow. Cars and trucks had rolled down to Lake Creek.’

“The avalanche followed a three-day storm that dumped 30 inches on the area. Weather Bureau forecasters said winds of more than 70 miles per hour Saturday night may have set off the slide.

“More than 600 men, including Army ski troops from nearby Camp Hale and Ft. Carson, near Colorado Springs, joined in the rescue effort. Darkness forced them to halt the search for the missing boy.

“The time of the snowslide as fixed at 5:30 a.m. because electric clocks stopped at that time. The slide swept away power lines.” (Associated Press. “Mt. Elbert Avalanche Kills 6, Boy 10, Still Missing.” Greeley Daily Tribune, CO. 1-22-1962, p. 1.)

Sources

ABC News (Clayton Sandell). “Five Snowboarders Dead in Colorado Avalanche.” 4-20-2013. http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2013/04/five-snowboarders-believed-dead-in-colorado-avalanche/

Associated Press. “Authorities identify skier, 4 snowboarders killed in Colorado avalanche.” 4-21-2013 at: http://www.foxnews.com/weather/2013/04/21/authorities-identify-5-snowboarders-killed-in-loveland-pass-avalanche-all-from/

Associated Press. “Mt. Elbert Avalanche Kills 6, Boy 10, Still Missing.” Greeley Daily Tribune, CO. 1-22-1962, p. 1. Accessed 10-4-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/greeley-daily-tribune-jan-22-1962-p-1/

Chickering, Sharon. “Twin Lakes Tragedy.” Colorado Central Magazine, Jan 2000. Accessed 4-21-2013 at: http://cozine.com/2000-january/twin-lakes-tragedy/

Denver Post (Jason Blevins). “Colorado avalanche at Loveland Pass ranks among nation’s deadliest.” 4-21-2013 at: http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_23075287/colorado-avalanche-among-nations-deadliest