CHAPTER ELEVEN
Heroines
My account of how newspapers reported the storm and created the heroines draws on a chapter in In All Its Fury about the storm coverage in the Nebraska press.
I was astonished, while reading through newspapers at the Nebraska State Historical Society, to come upon this item from the Omaha Republican: “Falls City, Nebr., Jan. 17 [1888]: A certain Mr. H. became intoxicated during the recent blizzard and in attempting to reach home, three miles south of town, had his hands so badly frozen that amputation is necessary. His attorney has brought suit against the saloon keeper for $5000.” I had always thought that lawsuits of this sort originated in our own inanely litigious age. Of course, it’s possible that this was a sick joke, for the same paper also ran this surely fabricated report: “Brainerd, Minn., Jan. 16: Lumbermen from Little Falls confirm the rumored murder of an entire family. Henry Ostrum murdered his wife and seven children because he feared they would freeze to death.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Aftermath
The Minnie Freeman story told in Florida comes from The Sod House by Cass G. Barns (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1970), page 112.
Greely’s account of the storm is from American Weather, pages 223–24.
My account of the New York blizzard of March 1888 draws on Blizzard! by Jim Murphy (New York: Scholastic Press, 2000) and on my own account in Braving the Elements (New York: Doubleday, 1996).
“The holiday spirit of eight years before…” is from Hamlin Garland, A Son of the Middle Border (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1979), page 398.
The statistics on farm income and price of corn are from The Gilded Age by H. Wayne Morgan (Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press, 1970), page 151.
Statistics on states with the poorest counties and population loss since 1950 come from “Amid Dying Towns of Rural Plains, One Makes a Stand” by Timothy Egan, The New York Times, December 1, 2003, page A1.
“It’s time for us to acknowledge…” is from “America’s Failed Frontier” by Nicholas D. Kristof, The New York Times, September 3, 2002, page A23.
Acknowledgments
The blizzard of January 12, 1888, is very much a part of the living history of the upper Midwest. Stories of relatives who were caught out in the storm are still told in hundreds of families—indeed, blizzard of ’88 stories are part of the lore that defines a Dakota or Nebraska family. I’m deeply grateful to the individuals who shared their family blizzard stories with me: Gladys Waltner, Anna Kaufman, Brynhild Rowberg, Joan Killingsworth, Rita Hajek, Steve and Dawn Kenzy, Ardell Lovejoy, Barbara Allen Wegner, Robert Wegner, Lawrence Woebbecke, Delores Osborne, John Weinberg, Maureen Vig, Max Robinson, Helen Marie Kann Roche, David Mayberry, Ernest Spaulding, Orra G. Procunier, Russel Graham, Jan Holland, Arlene Tiffany.
My thanks to John Woodruff for supplying information about his great uncle, Thomas Mayhew Woodruff, and for giving me copies of the family trees of the Woodruffs and the Mayhews.
I want to give special thanks to three people whose expertise, advice, and generosity were invaluable during the researching and writing of this book. Duane Schrag of Freeman, South Dakota, opened the archives of the Heritage Hall Museum to me, welcomed me into his home, and answered an endless stream of e-mail queries about Mennonite customs, beliefs, and practices, the meanings of German words, and the complicated histories and genealogies of the Schweizer families I was interested in. Dr. Nicholas A. Bond of the Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean of the University of Washington and the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory of NOAA has been patiently fielding my questions about the atmosphere for years; his answers are invariably precise, clear, concrete, and colorful—a writer’s dream. I can’t count the number of times I asked him for help while I was researching and writing this book. Dr. Louis Uccellini, director of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction, started my education in atmospheric science when I turned up perfectly ignorant in his office many years ago. I’m extremely grateful for the brilliant tutorials he has given me whenever I manage to buttonhole him. Dr. Uccellini literally wrote the book on snowstorms, and I count myself fortunate indeed that he took the time to explain to me how the blizzard of January 12 evolved and why it developed with such violence and suddenness. Both Dr. Bond and Dr. Uccellini read drafts of my sections about the storm, offered suggestions, and corrected mistakes. Any errors that remain are entirely my own.
For additional help with climate statistics, meteorology, and the basics of the storm I would like to thank Al Dutcher, Kenneth G. Hubbard, Dennis Todey, John Hallett, Bob Henson, Greg Spodan, Peter Boulay, Tom St. Martin, Mark Seeley, Bruce Watson, Gregory Hakim, Roger Reinking, Thomas Schlatter, Ronald L. Holle, and Paul Kocin of the Weather Channel.
Dr. Cameron C. Bangs, Dr. Bruce C. Paton, Dr. Murray Hamlet, Dr. William W. Forgey, and Dr. Leona Laskin answered my questions about hypothermia and frostbite. I thank them all. Dr. Paton very kindly read and corrected drafts. Dr. Stanley Feldman, Dr. Maurice S. Albin, and Dr. Leona Laskin furnished information on the history of inhalable anesthetics.
I was extremely fortunate to encounter so many generous, helpful, and knowledgeable people at the various archives and historical societies where I did research. In particular I would like to thank Loris Gregory at the Minnesota History Center, Harry Thompson at the Center for Western Studies, Arlein Fransen at the Jerauld County Pioneer Museum, Marjorie Ciarlante at the National Archives and Records Administration in College Park, Maryland, the staff of the Nebraska State Historical Society, Kim Holland at the Norwegian-American Historical Association, Ruby Johannsen of the Dakotaland Museum in Huron, Sherri Rawstern and Kelly Face at the Dacotah Prairie Museum in Aberdeen, South Dakota, Carol Keyes and Kathy Manoucheri at the Holt County Historical Society, Jane Graff of the Nebraska History Network, Heloise Bresley of the Valley County (Nebraska) Historical Society, Don Zimmer of the Pierce Historical Society (Nebraska), Douglas P. Sall at the Dakota Territorial Museum in Yankton, South Dakota, Laurie Langland at Layne Library, Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, South Dakota, Dick and Della Meyers of the Seward County (Nebraska) Historical Society, the staff of the Alexander Mitchell Library in Aberdeen, South Dakota, and the staff of the library of the United States Military Academy at West Point.
Friends and relatives provided invaluable leads, shared contacts, and wisdom, and furnished terrific advice. Many, many thanks to Bob Armstrong, Erik Larson, Pat Dobel, Phil Patton, Carolyn Ballo and her parents, Pete and Mary Ellen Kehn, Johanna Warness, Nils Dragoy, and Ivan Doig. My brother, Bob Laskin, my father-in-law, Lawrence O’Neill, and my brother-in-law, Lawrence O’Neill Jr. answered my dumb questions on matters mathematical, nautical, and scientific. My mother-in-law, Kathleen O’Neill, stumbled upon—and shared—an article explaining the origin of the word blizzard. My mother, Dr. Leona Laskin, helped me research medical issues. My father, Meyer Laskin, inspired my obsession with weather in the first place and kept my nose to the grindstone with his inquiries about my deadline. Donald and Mary Kelly graciously provided hospitality while I was in Saint Paul. Avice Meehan, Bob Armstrong, and Jim Witkin entertained me during my research trip to Washington, D.C.
Thanks also to those who answered questions, sent me articles, furnished statistics, drove with me through the scene of the storm, and offered advice: Marie Kramer, Lori Ann Lahlum, Suzanne Bunkers, Curt Nickisch, Elizabeth Hampsten, Doug Foxgrover, William Rorabaugh, Paula Nelson, John Gilg, Lila Niemann, Nona Wiese, Marian Cramer, and Jean Magnuson at the United Methodist Church in Seward, Nebraska.
I have the great good fortune of enjoying two exemplary libraries very close to home—Suzzallo and Allen Libraries at the University of Washington (may its stacks ever be open!) and the King County Library System. I’d like to thank the staff of the KCLS interlibrary loan department for securing books and microfilm from all over the country.
My agent, Jill Kneerim, has been a dream to work with from the very start�
��passionate about good ideas, ferocious at the bargaining table, brilliant at editing, acute in her judgment and advice. When I hit a wall in the early stages of drafting the book, Jill pointed out an elegant way around it and, with a gentle shove, sent me on my way. For this and so much more, my profound gratitude. It was truly my lucky day when I found her (with a little help from Deb Brody).
Many thanks to Melissa Parker for her tireless efforts in helping spread the word of this book’s publication in South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Iowa. And thanks to Mary Whisner for volunteering to proofread, and to Megan Ernst for creating (and recreating) the elegant map.
Tim Duggan, my editor at HarperCollins, has been an absolute pleasure to work with all the way through. His enthusiasm for the project has made every aspect of the research and writing that much more rewarding. Thanks also to Tim’s assistant, John Williams, to my publicist, Jennifer Swihart, to my excellent copyeditor, Judy Steer, and to all at Harper who have seen the book through.
I’ve already thanked my parents, Meyer and Leona Laskin, for their help and advice. I’d like to thank them again for their incredible generosity through all these years. Kind and liberal in every sense, they are a continuing inspiration.
And finally, my own home team—my wife, Kate O’Neill, and our three terrific daughters, Emily, Sarah, and Alice, to whom this book is dedicated with love. Though they don’t share my mania for weather, my wife and daughters are indulgent, sympathetic, and occasionally willing to be captivated by the fantastic displays the atmosphere whips up. I’m grateful to Kate for encouraging me to follow my dream and write about what I love. We’ve braved the elements together for a long time now—and there’s no one else I’d rather be with through sun and storm.
Searchable Terms
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Abbe, Cleveland
Aberdeen, Dakota Territory
Aberdeen Daily Republican
Aberdeen Hotel
Abilene, Tex.
Abrahamson, Nils
“After great pain, a formal feeling comes” (Dickinson)
“After the Fire” (Merrill)
Agriculture Department, U.S.
Albrecht, Anna
Albrecht, Jacob
Albrecht, Johann, Jr.
birth of, on board City of Richmond
in blizzard’s onset
death of
last hours of
Albrecht, Johann, Sr.
Albrecht, Julius
Albrecht, Maria
Albrecht, Peter
Albrecht family
Alexander II, czar of Russia
Alford, Dr.
Allen, Edna Jewett
Allen, Ethan
Allen, George F.
Allen, Hugh
Allen, Walter
in blizzard’s onset
brother’s rescue of
later life of
Allen, William
brother rescued by
Allen, William Clark “W.C.,”
background of
in blizzard
settlement of, in Groton
American Weather (Greely)
Andersen, Hans Christian
Antarctica
anticyclones
Arlington National Cemetery
Army, U.S.
see also Signal Corps, U.S. Army
Associated Press
Atlanta, Ga., burning of (1864)
Badger, Stella
Bambas, Frank
Bartie, Mr.
Bates, John C.
Baum, L. Frank
Baum’s Bazaar
Beadel, Jesse
Beef Bonanza, The: or How to Get Rich on the Plains (Brisbin)
Berry, Thomas
Bismarck, Dakota Territory
blizzard in
bison
Bjerknes, Jacob
Bjerknes, Vilhelm
Blake, Closs
Blizzard of January 12
aftermath of
and cold front’s advance
cold wave warnings issued in
and Dakota boom’s end
deaths in
forecasters’ failure to warn of
heroine stories of
high-low pressure gradient in
newspaper coverage of
onset of
pioneer accounts of
prelude to
St. Elmo’s fire in
as “Schoolchildren’s Blizzard,”
at Schweizer settlement
September 11, 2001 casualty ratio compared with
suddenness of
weather conditions after
weather conditions before
weather conditions during
and Woodruff’s forecasts
blizzards
categorization of
of 1873
of 1880–1881
of 1881–1882
of 1886–1887
of March 12
and popularization of word
as prairie’s ultimate curse
see also Blizzard of January 12
Block family
Blue Hill Observatory
Blue Snow Winter (1886–1887)
Blue Valley Blade
Bohemian Alps
Boston Traveller
Brandenburg, Edwin
Brandon, G. W.
Brisbin, James S.
Brooklyn Bridge
Brown, Mr. (railroad agent)
Brownsville, Tex.
Buchmillar, John
Buchmillar Leber, Josephine
buffalo
Bull Run, Second Battle of (1862)
Burkett, George F.
Burnley, C. D.
Bushnell, Mr. (newsman)
Byrd, Richard E.
Canada
Carleton College
Carnegie family
Carpenter, Frank
Carpenter, Julia
Castle Garden
Catherine II (the Great), empress of Russia
cattle
Chambers, Johnny
Chambers, Robert
Chancellorsville, Battle of (1863)
Chandler, William
Chappel, George M.
Cheyenne
Chicago, Milwaukee, Saint Paul and Pacific Railroad
Chicago and North-Western Railway
Chicago Tribune
Christian IV, King of Denmark
Churchill, Randolph
City of Chester
City of Richmond
Civil War
Clayton, H. Helm
Cleveland, Grover
Cochran, Thomas, Jr.
cold fronts
cold waves
tracks taken by
“Cold Waves and their Progress” (Woodruff)
Colorado River (Texas)
Comanches
conduction
convection
corona discharges
Corpus Christi, Tex.
Cotton, James P.
Council Bluffs, Iowa
Crete, Nebr.
Custer, Elizabeth
Custer, George Armstrong
cyclones
Dahl, Caroline
Dahl, Nellie
Dahl, Niels
Dahl, Tilla
Daily Huronite
Dakota Farmer
Dakota Territory
as center of blizzard casualties
Snow Winter of 1880–1881 in
see also specific locations
Deadwood, Dakota Territory
Des Moines, Iowa
Dickinson, Emily
Dorgeloh, Wilhelm
Dorgeloh, Wilhelmine
Dowling, Michael J.
Drexel & Maul
Dunham, N.J.
Dunn, Elias
Dunwoody, H. H. C.
Edison, Thomas
Elison, Joseph
Eller, Fred
Ellis, Caleb Holt
Emmet, Robert
Everest, Mount
First International Polar Year (1882–1883)
Ford, W. H.
Forsythe, Nellie
Fort Assinniboine, Mont.
Fort Buford, Dakota Territory
Fort Custer, Mont.
Fort Keogh, Mont.
Fort Myer, Va.
Fort Snelling, Dakota Territory
Freeman, Minnie Mae
Omaha Bee reportage on
frostbite
Fyffe, David Maxwell
Galveston, Tex.
hurricane of 1900 in
Garland, Hamlin
Gering family
German Americans
Gettysburg, Battle of (1863)
Gibson, Omar
Gilbertson, Emil
Gilded Age
Glenn, Samuel W.
in blizzard
blizzard journal kept by
illness of
storm report of
weather observations of
Goertz, Johann
Goerz, David
Graber, Andreas
in blizzard
Graber, Anna
Graber, Freni
Graber, Freni (daughter)
Graber, Johann
in blizzard
Graber, Joseph
Graber, Peter, Jr.
death of