Dakota County, Nebraska - Chapter 12, 1893

Chapter 12

The memorable cold and stormy winter of '56 and '57 xvill never be forgotten by Dakota county pioneers. For forty days the thermometer did not register above the freezing point, and the snow stood four feet deep on the level. ^

""On New Year's day, 1864, a violent blizzard swept over the entire western country, continuing three days. The Civil War was then in progress, and what few pioneers remained here suffered intensely, as did stock of all kinds.

A severe blizzard began at 2 o'clock p. m. on Sunday, March 12, 1870, and continued seventy-two hours without cessation. The wind blew with a terrific fury and the air was tilled with a blinding mass of snow.

On the 9th and lOtli of May, 1870, a great snow storm prevailed throughout this part of the country. Enough snow fell to make sleighing good.

A great blizzard swept over Dakota county and adjacent country, begining on Nov. 18, 1871, and continuing with a fury, such as was never before witnessed by tlie pioneers. There was intense suffering among the people as well as stock of all kinds. On the hrst day of the storm William Hunter was frozen to death while returning to the Logan valley with a load of wood, Harrison Allen and Albert S. Miner who were in company with Hunter were also badly frozen, but not fatally.

The morning of January 8, 1872, was pleasant and mild, the snow was melting in the warm sunshine, and the people everywhere were working with coats off - but at lU o'clock a. m., in an instant without the least warning the wind swept down from the northwest, and the ground was soon covered with drifting snow. The thermometei' fell fifteen degrees in ten minutes, and an old man named Austin was frozen to death on tlie Looan river.

April 14, 1873, a blizzard passed over Nebraska, but was not as severe in Dakota county as it was further west, wdiere the people suffered intensely and a large amount of stock perished.

Dakota county was visited by a severe blizzard Feb. 23, 1875, in which Sabin Bailey lost his life in trying to reach his home on Pigeoji creek. He had been to Jackson to get his horses sliod, when he lost his way and was found frozen to death the next morning. The roads in many places were impassable.

The winter of 1880 and '81 will be remembered in this locality for many years by the inhabitants. During that winter eight feet of snow fell and the ground everywhere was covered to the depth of four feet, roads in many places were abandoned, many lives were lost in .the west, stock by the hundreds were frozen to deatli and in the spring break-up all the low lands were flooded, bridges carried away, and a vast amount of property destroyed. The first snow storm occured Oct. 15, 1881, and up to the 1st of May following snuw could he seen in the ravines of the bluffs.

June 6, 1881, the southern part of the county was swept by a severe wind and hail storm, demoralizing crops, and doing considerable damage to buildings, wind mills, etc.

Great Storms Akd Blizzards

A great wind and hail storm passed over Dakota county from the northwest, June 14, 1885. Davy t'c Earry's store in Jackson was overturned, fronts of Lnildiiigs blown in, and barns, wind mills and other bnildings torn to pieces. The smoke stacks, cabin and pilot house of the ferry boat. Andrew S. Bennett wei'c blown off, and crops o^reatly damaged.

Jan. 12, 1888, one of the greatest blizzards ever seen in the west swept over the country. The inhabitants were taken by surprise. All day a mild soutli wind wafted the lai'ge soft snow flakes gently to the ground, until about 4 p. m. when all of a sudden a icr- I'ilic northwest wind tilled all the air M'ith a seething mass of snow. People blinded by the whii'ling snow lost their way and many perished in the storm. But not a life was lost in Dakota county. People arc now too well protected by groves for the storms to do much dam acre.