DARK HISTORY: THE BLIZZARD OF ‘88

Ninetoes takes us to school and tells the tragedy that befell not only students but the rest of the continent for a dark, and snowy, chapter in history.

Hey there, history lovers! It is your old pal, Ninetoes, coming to you from Ninetoes HQ. Today, I am looking at The Schoolchildren’s Blizzard of 1888. I have coffee in my system and my thinking cap on, so let’s get to it!

This story recently got my attention, and with school going back in session soon, now is a good time to cover it. Growing up, my father used to say to us, “I walked 10 miles, uphill, both ways to get to school!” Uphill both ways, Dad? Sure, the uphill part was laying it on thick, but he did walk ten miles to school. The same can be said of the schoolchildren in this story. Many had to travel miles on foot just to go to school.

The date was January 12, 1888. A low had developed over Alberta, Canada, and had dropped in a south/south-eastern direction. On January 11, the temperature was -4 degrees. Ahead of the low the temperature rose to 28 degrees on the morning of January 12. By the afternoon, the temperature plummeted by at least -20 degrees and in some areas as much as -40 degrees. This wave of cold air was accompanied by strong winds and heavy snow.

A teenage Norwegian immigrant in Fortier, Minnesota, Carl Saltee, remarked, “… on the 12th of January 1888 around noontime it was so warm it melted snow and ice from the window until after 1 p.m.” and that by 3:30 p.m. “A dark and heavy wall built up around the northwest coming fast, coming like those heavy thunderstorms, like a shot. In a few moments, we had the severest snowstorm I ever saw in my life with a terrible hard wind, like a Hurricane, snow so thick we could not see more than 3 steps from the door at times.”

On the day of the storm, with the warmer weather in the early part of the day, many people left the security of their home to go to work, school, run errands, or just enjoy the day. The sudden change in the weather caught thousands unaware. For the most part, teachers kept the students in the classroom with them and used spare wood to keep them warm. Anyone who was caught outside and could not make it to the safety of indoors died. In fact, the official death toll for this was 235 across the Great Plains, but some also estimate it might be as high as 1,000.

This cold front was so strong that it was felt as far south as Veracruz, Mexico. The suddenness of the storm and its impact led to the creation of the U.S. Weather Bureau in 1890.

If you kids are going to complain about having to go to school, just tell them this story and see if it makes an impact.

Darren “Ninetoes” Perdue is a book and media reviewer. When he is not reading, he is watching true crime shows, cooking for his family, or working on a plan for universal domination. If you see him on his porch, say hi. He does not bite…much.

PLEASE NOTE: The views and opinions of the staff of Memento Mori Ink do not necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or Crystal Lake Publishing, nor do the views or opinions of Crystal Lake necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or its staff. Thank you for understanding.