CEDAR COUNTY, NEBRASKA - BLIZZARD OF 1888 ONE IN FIFTY YEARS ==================================================================== NEGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. This file was contributed for use in the NEGenWeb Archives by Carol Tramp Permission granted by: Rob Dump, Editor, Cedar County News ====================================================================== CEDAR COUNTY NEWS JANUARY 17, 1929 BLIZZARD OF 1888 ONE IN FIFTY YEARS DEATH BRINGING STORM REMEMBERED BECAUSE SO VERY UNUSUAL With a temperature varying from 27 to 13 degrees above freezing, Cedar county's oldest residents monopolizing attention of all Saturday with tales of Nebraska's big blizzard, the 41st anniversary of which occured that day. The sentiment of all Cedar county residents was expressed officially by D.E. Ewing, U.S. Weather man here, when he said, "The blizzard of 1888 was the most unusual weather phenomenon ever occuring during a winter in Nebraska, and one which had no parallel in the annals of the explorers and settlers before that time or in the history since that time." A shoulder pain has caused John Goebel to remember that blizzard. At that time, he was living on his farm in northwest Cedar county. He had been at the barn, and when he tried to get to the house, the thick snow made a white wall thru which he could not see. He staggered on hoping. Suddenly bump, he could go no farther. His shoulder had encountered part of the house, and so glad was he to find the building that he forgot the ache in his bones which in imagination he has felt ever since. Frank Osborn was living three miles south of Hartington during that year. The snow which was as fine as meal, penetrating every crevice. Few people have ever seen a snowdrift bank up against a door even to the keyhole, but Mr. Osborn vouches it did that time. He cared for all his stock in the face of the raging blizzard. "If we should have a storm like that now," said Mr. Osborn, the young folks would not know how to dress or to protect themselves or how to keep the livestock from perishing. I used to get a gunny sack and put in over my cap, making it look like an oldfashioned bonnet. When the snow rose on one side I could take my mitten and knocked it off. During that storm some people did not attempt to go to the barn, until they had taken a clothes line or a wire and tied it to the house. Then by following the wire they were in no danger of losing their way back to the house. "I never lost an animal in a storm," states Mr. Osborn. The late D.F. Crouch, clerk of the districk court, was working in the timber north of Wynot when the storm broke. He made his way to the house and hitched up a team to the sleigh to go after his wife who was teaching a country school nearby. Most of the parents had come for their children, but all those who were left piled into the sleigh and started for the Crouch home. The driving and blowing snow blinded the horses and if the land had not been fenced it was doubtful they would have ever reached home. The horses went from one fence to the other; their eyes filled with fine snow. Mrs. Anna Olson was working for the James Marsh family near Aten. They had sat down to dinner, when Mr. Marsh called them to the window to see the "Wall" which was sweeping down over them. Miss Olson had hung clothes on the line and in order to save the garments, she stepped out into the terrific wind. "The gale dashed her about, altho she finally did succeed in saving the clothes."