CHICAGO — Dibs has a long, sordid history in Chicago.

It dates back to 1967, but didn't become "an entrenched phenomenon" until the 1979 winter that produced a record 89.7 inches of snow overall, according to the Reader.

Pilsen-based Chicago Film Archives has a home movie showing how Dibs were done in 1979.

The nearly five-minute film from JoAnn Elam shows people digging out of their cars, postal workers somehow delivering mail and some examples of Dibs — including water buckets and pieces of wood.

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