This day in history – The ‘21 Blow

January 29, 2026 1:30 am
Photo Merchant/Mayberry/Smith family While this photo did not appear in the newspaper, many locals did document the storm damage. Here, locals stand along the Quillayute Road in a cleared section. It was estimated that it took about a day to clear a mile of roadway.
Photo Merchant/Mayberry/Smith family While this photo did not appear in the newspaper, many locals did document the storm damage. Here, locals stand along the Quillayute Road in a cleared section. It was estimated that it took about a day to clear a mile of roadway.

On January 29, 1921, the West End of Clallam County suffered a mighty storm. It would be several days before the outside world knew of the devastation, and the news would appear in the Port Angeles paper (it would be another 10 years before the first Forks Forum would be printed).

Thousands of trees were toppled, changing the landscape. It was estimated that 1,700 trees had fallen across the road from Fairholme to Beaver; between Beaver and Tyee, 300 were across the road, and every other road was also impacted as well as many more acres of mature trees. Thankfully, no humans died, but many cattle were not so lucky, and many farmers lost their barns.

newspaper