Children's Blizzard Video

What are some survival stories of the Children's Blizzard?

•Lois Royce found herself trapped with three of her students in her schoolhouse. By 3 p.m., they had run out of heating fuel. Her boarding house was not far, so she attempted to lead the children there. Sadly, the visibility is was so bad, they became lost and all the children froze to death. The teacher survived, but her feet were frostbitten and had to be removed.

•Minnie Freeman safely led thirteen children from her schoolhouse to her home that was half a mile away. There is a rumor that she used a rope to keep the children altogether during the storm, but one of the children claims it untrue. She led them to the boarding house she lived at about a mile away and all of her students survived. These children were lucky, but most weren't as many of the lives taken in the storm were children. 

What is the Children's Blizzard of 1888?

The Children's Blizzard of 1888 is a blizzard that hit North and South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Oklahoma and some of Canada. The day started warm and sunny. None of the children took jackets to school because of the surprisingly warm weather in January. The blizzard was preceded by a snowstorm that dropped powdery snow on the northern and central plains that brought brutally cold temperatures with it. The blizzard met an immense Arctic cold front that was laden with warm moist airs from the gulf, causing the temperature to drop from a few degrees above freezing to -20º F. The cold temperatures was accompanied by strong winds and heavy snow. The most deadly thing of the storm was the timing. It hit during school and work hours. It was surprising because of the warm spell of weather that was before it. Since the day was so warm many people left their homes to go do chores, go into town, visit friends and family and many were caught in the storm. Including the schoolchildren on their way home from school. There are many remarkable stories of survivors, but the tragedy was far greater. The death toll was 235 people and travel was severely impended for several days after the storm.

How did the Children's Blizzard get its name?

The Children's Blizzard got its name because of all the lives of children it claimed. Other names for the blizzard are the Schoolhouse Blizzard and the Schoolchildren Blizzard. The blizzard took the lives of many schoolchildren on their way home from school one day. Some did survive, but many did not.