The Schoolhouse Blizzard Of 1888 Is Still Considered One Of The Deadliest Storms In History
Imagine walking to school on a mild January morning, only to be caught in a surprise snowstorm after class lets out.
That’s exactly what happened on January 12, 1888, when the infamous Schoolhouse Blizzard, also known as the Children’s Blizzard, struck the Great Plains region of the United States with intensity.
The storm came without a warning, turning a peaceful day into a fight for survival. It caused temperatures to plummet and strong winds to blow fiercely across the region. Some accounts say that the temperature dropped by almost 100 degrees in 24 hours.
It was an ordinary Thursday afternoon, and the weather had been uncharacteristically warm the previous day, from Montana east to the Dakotas and south to Texas. As a result, many children headed to school without heavy coats.
In just a few hours, Arctic air from Canada suddenly blew south. Much of North Dakota experienced temperatures that fell to 40 below zero.
High winds and heavy snow quickly followed, creating whiteout conditions that made it nearly impossible to see.
The Schoolhouse Blizzard killed an estimated total of 235 people. Most of the victims were children in rural areas on their way home from school and adults working on large farms. They were left stranded in the snowstorm while trying to reach their destinations.
In some cases, a number of schoolteachers had to make tough decisions, demonstrating their heroism. For instance, a schoolteacher named Seymour Dopp in Pawnee City, Nebraska, kept his 17 students in the small, one-room schoolhouse when the storm began at two in the afternoon. They stayed overnight, burning wood to stay warm.
Over most of the Great Plains, the storm lasted from 12 to 18 hours. The next day, parents trekked over snow drifts as tall as five feet to rescue their children.
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The most famous example was of Nebraska teacher Minnie Freeman, who safely led her students to shelter after the powerful winds ripped the roof off her one-room schoolhouse. When the storm struck, there were 13 children in her school.
She tied them together in a single-file line. With the help of some of the older pupils, they managed to make it to the nearest farmhouse.
A popular song of the time titled “Thirteen Were Saved, or Nebraska’s Fearless Maid” was written in honor of her bravery.
Sadly, some people were less fortunate. Loie Royce, a teacher in Plainview, Nebraska, tried to lead three children to her home, which was about 90 yards away, but they became lost. The children died of hypothermia, and Royce had to have both feet amputated due to frostbite.
Overall, the blizzard taught everyone a harsh winter lesson, highlighting the dangers of unpredictable weather on the open plains. It is still considered one of the most devastating storms in U.S. history.
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