Winter Storm Elliot brought incredibly cold temperatures that caused brutal conditions and closures throughout the Great Lake State. While we Michiganders are used to below-freezing temperatures and a winter storm or two, we haven’t broken the record for the coldest day in nearly a century. The coldest year since records were kept was in 1934 in Michigan and it was a winter to remember.

Picture this: it’s the year 1934 and Michigan is in the throes of the Great Depression.
Photographer not credited., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The unemployment rate is at a staggering 34%, compared to the rest of the United States -- which is at 26%. Michigan had the highest unemployment out of any state during the Great Depression, in fact.
S. Lucas, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Detroit’s auto industry was hit the hardest with General Motors laying off 50% of its workforce, leaving many Michiganders unemployed and forced to live in poverty.
See page for author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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And just when Michiganders are experiencing the worst recession in history, things get even worse.
Coldest Year 1934 Michigan
Christian Collins/Flickr
Winter arrived in 1934 and brought with it unbelievably frigid temperatures that would make anyone shiver.
ehrlif/iStock / Getty Images Plus via Getty Images
The small village of Vanderbilt in northern Michigan recorded a low of -51 degrees Fahrenheit. That was the actual temperature -- it does not account for the windchill.
naql/Flickr
One of the rules of the Great Depression was “Use it up, wear it out, make do, or do without,” so many Michiganders couldn’t even afford to purchase new winter clothing. Talk about an incredibly hard winter! Sadly, the recession would continue for another five years.
Christian Collins/Flickr

The next time we get a cold blast, we can be grateful we aren’t experiencing it in the middle of the worst economic crisis in history. What is the coldest winter you remember? Share your memories with us in the comments below. To learn more about Michigan’s 1930s history, check out these 9 Rare Photos Taken In Metro Detroit During The Great Depression.

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