The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1916-01-14
Forty Third Anniversary
of the Blizzard of 1873
[BY HUGH JONES. I

Perhaps the greatest blizzard that
has ever been witnessed in the state
of Minnesota started on January><7,
1873. In former days the billiards.
were commonly called "polar waves"
This partly explains the use of the
above expression in the following
extract from the history of the Min
nesota Valley in reference to the
aforementioned storm. On January
Z, and a polar wave swept the
state, seventy persons perishing. The
morning of the seventh was beautiful.
A mild wind was blowing from the
southeast. Soft white clouds were
sailing along the sky. The roads
were excellent sleighing was fine
! and as the temperature was about
freezing, the sleighs slipped easily
over the ice and snow. The roads in
the vicinity of school district No. Is,
which l taught that winter, leading
| to r-by towns were alive with
sleighs. Boys and girls, in happy
groups were on their way to school.
Little did they know of the coming
storm. There were siXty-five scholars
! on the roll of my school and on days
when all were present the small COX
| "a room was taxed to it's utmost
4 capacity. On this eVentful day every
/ thing went pleasant until about three
| o'clock. Shortly after three, a great
J blast of wind was heard as if shot
| from cannon. 1t struck the school
house with crash and the old frame
building fairly shook. The great
blizzard had arrived and was raging
in all it's fury. At the time I was hear
ing a class recite. 1t got so dark that
/ could hardly see to read, but as the
building was equipped with lamps,
soon had a light and class after class
recited l expected every minute to
see the fathers or someone to come
i after the children. After four O'Clock
before dismissing the school, went
! out to see how severe the storm was
and as soon as stepped out, the wind
took away my breath and nearly blew
i me down. All was enveloped in dark
! ness. The air was full of snow, as
fine as flower, flying in an eighty mile
an hour wind. No one could face such
/ door to stop anyone from going.
told them that outside furious storm
was raging, so severe that no one
could face it and that had decided tt
| keep them in the school until the
| storm was over or until their fathers
or some one would come after then
to take them r, home, | had forty
scholars in school that day. The girl:
commenced to cry. Some of the
scholars asked me to open the dool
SO that they could look out. 1 did
and they said ooh. its awful ant
were content to stay. We were wei
| fixed for fuel. We had a cord or two
of dry hard maple 4niled against thu
school house and luckily the boy
who sawed the wood had brought {
saw to school that morning AS time
/ passed the little ones were gettins
hungry and thirsty. We had no foot
but could melt snow in their dinner
pals for drinking water. 1t was pitt
full to hear them ask for something II
eat ;. but what was that to compar,
with the anxiety of the mothers TO
them. The poor mothers did no
| know but what their loved ones hat
started to go home, got lost, wer'
frozen and snow had drifted owe
their bodies. Although some of tn,
families lived only a half a mile from
the school house, the fathers could