Houston and Missouri were very different places 40 years ago, and the Houston Herald was there to document what things were like.

In the Feb. 15, 1979 issue, staff writer Jo Woodward (who had moved north from Florida in 1972) made some interesting observations about the cold and snowy winter the region had endured.

She called the piece:

JACK FROST, GO HOME!

A National Weather Service meteorologist has announced the probable end to our worst winter weather, but there are bound to be some pretty embarrassed cream-colored wooly worms hiding out in Missouri.

Those are the little rascals who – along with some meteorologist who should have known better – predicted this winter would be a tad milder than the last. As it turned out, our weeks and weeks of snow and ice would have made Nanook of the North feel right at home.

Winter has totally gotten out of control. Every weather map in television has shown nothing by huge clouds constantly rolling in on us from the West Coast. All the weathermen have done for weeks is smile sickly and talk about Arctic air masses, record lows and more snow tomorrow. I may never again be able to hum “Winter Wonderland” or “Frosty the Snowman.”

Meteorologists from all over the world met last week in Switzerland to discuss man’s role in creating and modifying weather. Some murmurs have come out of the meeting about our use of aerosol spray cans, industrial pollution, the over-cutting of forests and other typical man-made disasters. The experts haven’t come up with an answer to our weather problems yet, but if they tell us this kind of winter was brought on by too many Big Macs, I’ll be the first to stop eating them!

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Being only seven years up from Florida, I still find the snow beautiful and fascinating – as long as it’s my day off and I don’t have to get out and drive in it. Even after the January we experienced, there is something satisfying and peaceful about watching the huge, white flakes sift down over trees and pastures. They mute the sound of traffic, cover some of the unsightly damage man has done to the Earth and leave one with a terrible hunger for a cup of hot chocolate and a powdered sugar donut.

What I find most disheartening about snow is its tendency to pack down when cars drive over it. Unlike lifetime residents of the area, I simply do not grasp the proper technique for driving over slippery roads. My first inclination when approaching an intersection is to apply the brakes, a tactic which can cause a lot of excitement to passengers, oncoming vehicles, pedestrians and stray chickens seeking the other side of the road.

Having discovered in short order that my walking is less dangerous to others than my driving under winter conditions, I have learned to park the car at 8 a.m. and leave it there until quitting time. Unfortunately, there are many sections of the sidewalk in the downtown area that remain totally unacquainted with a snow shovel. These places, like the snow-packed roads, are slicker than greased glass. So are the bottoms of my shoes. 

SHO-ME MOOSE

Also in the Feb. 15, 1979 Herald, an article chronicled the travels of a wayward moose that had wandered far south of its normal range, named Sho-Me Moose.

The big animal apparently walked south from Minnesota, and was first reported in Iowa in December 1976. A year later, it was sighted in Clark County after likely trudging along the Des Moines River and entering Missouri.

The article said Sho-Me Moose was seen near Louisiana, Mo., in December 1979, according to Missouri Department of Conservation district supervisor Les Brown. MDC officials said the moose was believed to be a young but mature male and had a rack with about a six-foot spread. Samples of its droppings were sent to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in hopes of determining if the animal was infected by a moose brain parasite that is know to cause erratic behavior – like lengthy hikes to far away places. Minnesota DNR moose biologist Pat Karns said symptoms of moose affected by the parasite include losing all fear of humans and doing weird things like jumping up in the air or turning their heads to one side and whirling around.

But Sho-Me Moose didn’t exhibit any such symptoms. So why did he abandon the Land of 10,000 Lakes?

“He just left,” Karns said. “He’s probably like the wolverine that showed up in Iowa a few years ago.”

Or (as the article stated) like the porcupine, mule deer or various other animals that showed up in Missouri over the years, far from their normal home ranges.

MDC indicated that killing the Sho-Me Moose would be illegal, as was the case with any other “occasional stragers” not specifically mentioned in the state Wildlife Code (like elk, armadillos, bears and mountain lions).

GOODS FOR SALE – CHEAP 

Plenty of advertising depicting a wide variety of items appeared in that same Herald issue. Some examples:

•Pay-Less Variety offered a “dishwasher safe” 12-piece Andover Melamine Dinnerware service set for four people for $4.44, model car kits for $1.99, metal lap trays for 77 cents each and girls knee socks for 59 cents a pair.

•Lyle’s Tire Center had Power Mark 11-2-28 tractor tires for $97 apiece.

•The Clothesline offered women’s pants suits and dresses for half-price and all sleepwear at 30-percent off.

•Sonic Drive-In had Washington’s Birthday specials, including a shrimp boat for $2.39, a chicken basket for $1.69, a fish dinner for 99 cents and fried pies for 35 cents.

•Walmart had a “Super Inflation Buster” sale on material, thread and lots of other items related to sewing. The store also offered several items for 22 cents apiece, including a nine-piece “kitchen gadget” assortment, a two-pack of Westinghouse 75-watt light bulbs, two candy bars (either Snickers, Baby Ruth or 3 Musketeers) and “one size fits all” panty hose in four available colors.

•The MFA Food Store offered pork steak for $1.29 a pound, Bush’s pinto beans at four cans for $1, a 10-ounce box of Post Raisin Bran for 75 cents and a 16-ounce box of Nabisco Premium Crackers for 59 cents.

•In the classifieds, a three-bedroom, two-bathroom house north of Houston (with “total electric”) was available for rent for $175 a month. There was no mention of a lease length, damage deposit, pet deposit, first-and-last month’s rent or multiple references.

Browse through every edition of the Houston Herald online at a very affordable rate. Click here to get started.