North Dakota's Schoolhouse Blizzard Was One Of The Worst Disasters In U.S. History
By Tori Jane|Published January 25, 2022
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Tori Jane
Author
Tori Jane is a storm chaser, writer, photographer, and the village idiot - in that order. When she's not out and about dancing with the meanest storms on planet Earth for funsies she can be found wandering, shooting landscapes, writing, editing photos, and otherwise up to no good. Legend has it that she can also be occasionally spotted typing up short bios in the third person, but those rumors are unsubstantiated.
Sometimes, dark, unexpected things happen that knock us off our feet and debilitate us for days, weeks, or more. Sometimes, those things happen because of other people, or specific circumstances, but others are especially terrifying because they come from the natural world. At the very least, during this modern age, we have ways of knowing what’s coming at least a few days in advance; back in the early 19th century, though, they didn’t have this luxury, and in 1888, the Midwest would be hit by one of the single-worst disasters in U.S. history without any warning. This historic disaster in North Dakota and surrounding states would go down in the annals of history as truly one of the worst ever.
Simply by looking at this illustration from Frank Leslie's Weekly, one gains insight into the horrors of this storm.
To say that folks' guards were down is to put things lightly; in the days leading up to the storm, unseasonably warm temperatures had spread across the Midwest and extended as far south as Texas. Life was going on as usual, and nobody realized just how bad things were about to get.
An Arctic blast of air from Canada moved in very fast; seemingly suddenly, it was snowing - and it was snowing hard.
Things went from strangely warm to horribly, morbidly cold very rapidly; the timing of the blizzard, however, would ultimately bring about the worst of its impact.
Getting home required walking - and walking on this particular day was a very, very bad idea. Children and teachers alike were caught in the worst storm North Dakota had seen yet; many became lost in the disorienting blanket of empty whiteness and froze. Some tried escorting their students to safety, but it was to no avail. In total, 235 people across the Midwest, including many children in North Dakota, would die.
There were, however, many teachers that recognized the situation for the danger that it presented, and their quick thinking saved many lives.
Some opted to stay in the schoolhouses until the storm was passed; when parents came looking for their children the next day, many were rescued. This incident was, however, a bleak reminder of just how fast - and how hard - nature can strike.
In some regions, including some in North Dakota, temperatures reached an astonishing -20 to -40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Have you ever experienced anything similar to this historic disaster in North Dakota? Tell us about what happened (and when) in the comments – and send pictures! Hopefully, though, nothing like this happens again – preferably ever!
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