The Krakatoa volcanic eruption was heard in Stephenville, residents said it sounded like a thunderstorm on a clear day. The three winters following the event were made colder by the volcanic dust in the atmosphere. On January 20, 1884, it was 0 degrees in Stephenville and the Bosque was frozen until February. That winter was described as the coldest in twenty years. The winter of 1885 was closer to normal with only a few spells of zero degree weather.

Dan Young, Historical Calendar, 1985.