{"id":664,"date":"2023-01-16T21:59:35","date_gmt":"2023-01-16T21:59:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americasspine.com\/?p=664"},"modified":"2023-01-16T21:59:39","modified_gmt":"2023-01-16T21:59:39","slug":"americas-most-treacherous-winter-disaster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americasspine.com\/?p=664","title":{"rendered":"America’s Most Treacherous Winter Disaster"},"content":{"rendered":"
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“It fell like powered sugar,brittle, yet airy and without direction as it covered the land under an unforgiving tomb.” H.S. Crow<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Northwest Plains<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The year was 1888, and it would go down in history as having one of the worst storms ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

States like the Dakotas, Montana, and Nebraska, had unseasonably warm weather the previous day. Today was Thursday January 12th 1888. Activities were being carried out as usual, farmers tending animals, gathering hay, people doing business in town, and children at school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without warning, and in just a few short hours Artic air from Canada would alter the lives of everyone in this section of the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The temperature would drop rapidly to 40 below zero. The storm of the century was not only bringing frigid temperature, but high winds and heavy snow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We Must Get Home<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As the snow was getting harder, the wind blew even stronger, and the people’s thoughts turned to getting home. Farmers out in the pastures starting moving cattle toward the barns. Men on the roads driving carts filled with hay, pushed the horses to move faster. Teachers looking out the windows wandering what the best plan would be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most teachers decided that sending the children home was the answer. This would prove to be the worst decision they could have made. Fore you see this decision would go down in history to be known as ” The Children’s Blizzard of 1888. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At 2p.m. as the storm was gathering strength, schoolteacher Loie Royce who resided in a boarding house less than 90 feet from the schoolhouse got her pupils together and tried to lead them there. The wind was so fast and the snow falling so hard, they all got lost and three children died from hypothermia. Ms. Royce did not perish, but did loose her feet to frostbite. Meanwhile there is also the story of Emma Shattuck, a nineteen year old teacher also from Nebraska, whose pupils were sent home. No mention was made as to their outcome. Ms. Shattuck on the other hand proceeded to go home, feeling lost and turned around she sought refuse in a barn and the haystack inside. It was stated that she crawled inside the haystack and stayed there Thursday night thru Sunday. When later found she was so severly frozen that her limbs had to be amputated. She succumbed to her injuries a few days later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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One teacher who saved his pupils was Seymour Dopp, also from Nebraska. He decided to keep his 17 pupils there with him for the night. He used the stock piled wood to keep them safe and warm, next day the parents somehow managed to climb over and thru the five feet snowdrifts and retrieve their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, farmers who were out in the fields left their cattle and prayed they would survive, but in a lot of instances the farmer and the stock both perished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Horses turned loose were found frozen to death. A man who was short on wood for his fireplace went outside and because of the white-out conditions, got lost just 3 feet from his home and died of frostbite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were so many more stories such as the ones I have written about, and if you fancy to continue learning about this monster storm you can read first hand accounts in the old newspapers found at {https:\/\/chroniclingamerica.loc.gov}. Fascinating articles and to read them just type in [Blizzard, 1888]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Total outcome<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

235 people were said to have perished that day. Some say as many as 1000. The decisions made by the teachers would change lives. Pupils who should have stayed at school was sent into an out-of-control situation that would seal their fate. People misjudging the signs believing it was only a winter storm did not act fast enough to save themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In some areas thesnow had drifted so high that it blocked second story windows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I guess there was a lesson to learn from this part of history, that thought and care should be weighed before making hasty decisions. It could make a difference between life and death.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Feedback<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Thanks for joining me in my telling of the Blizzard of 1888. I love history so much, and I hope we learn lessons from it that are not repeated. I would love to hear your thoughts on my blog and how I could improve it. If you have a story you would like to learn more about, drop me your idea. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Remember, history is the true spine of America. Without it, we would fall and collapse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“It fell like powered sugar,brittle, yet airy and without direction as it covered the land under an unforgiving tomb.” H.S. Crow Northwest Plains The year was 1888, and it would go down in history as having one of the worst storms ever. States like the Dakotas, Montana, and Nebraska, had unseasonably warm weather the previous…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[83,86,87,84,85],"class_list":["post-664","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-blizzard","tag-children","tag-midwest","tag-snow","tag-weather"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t