Essay On The Destructive Blizzard Of 1888

The Destructive Blizzard of 1888 The violent and frigid storm on January 12, 1888 made a very dark mark in American history. The gruesome storm otherwise known as “The Murderous Blizzard” wiped out numerous places throughout the Midwest. Places such as Nebraska, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota were covered with thick blankets of icy snow. Many were forced to suffer through frigid temperatures and grueling circumstances. The horrific blizzard killed more than four hundred people, kept thousands stranded with nowhere to go and left an entire nation in a state of distress. The death toll from the blizzard was much higher than what would have normally been expected. The high number of deaths was due to the lack of knowledge of the newly …show more content…
At one moment it seemed like the first beautiful day in weeks. The next moment a light breeze would bring along a strong cold front that would reshape history on the new frontier. The settlers were from the East coast, where cold weather was fairly common. Yet, they were still shocked at how dramatic and violent the weather could get in a matter of hours on the new frontier. On that very day in January when the storm first descended from the Northwest, there was no warning. By the time the actual storm had hit, there was a sudden change in weather that caught many new settlers by surprise. The territories were made up of large rural areas with everyone spread out miles apart from each other. Farmers were miles away from home and tending to their crops, while children were just coming home from a day at school. Because of the mild weather and bright sunshine earlier that day, many of the settlers went without wearing heavy coats or even gloves to protect them from the unexpected drop in temperatures that was about to occur. By the time the actual storm hit, there were a very limited number of places for the settlers to go. If someone was far away and found a canopy to use as covering until the storm passed, the covering might shield them from the windy blizzard, but the very low temperatures would still cause them to freeze to death. The blizzard was so damaging especially for the children who were making their way back home from a day at school. According to the story in Portrait of America, “The blizzard of January 12, 1888, was known as “the Schoolchildren’s Blizzard” because so many of the victims were children caught out on their way home from school, became a marker in the lives of the settlers, the watershed event that separated before and after.” (Laskin