The Children's Blizzard Read online

  And most of them left home wearing only the minimal clothing for a prairie winter; shawls instead of coats, light scarves instead of wool mufflers.

  When the blizzard struck central and eastern Nebraska and southeastern Dakota—the places that had the most casualties—it struck at a particularly devastating time: the hour when school was about to let out, or just had. This led to an unusually high proportion of casualties being children—thus the name, the Children’s Blizzard.

  Many details in my book are recorded history: the facts of the blizzard itself, the timeline, the details about the Army Signal Corps. Edward Rosewater and the Omaha Daily Bee really did exist and play a big part in the aftermath of the storm. There really was a Heroine Fund established by the Bee. The character of Raina Olsen in my novel is loosely based on the real-life heroine Minnie Freeman, who is also mentioned. The character of Anette Pedersen is based on another survivor, Lena Woebbecke.

  The death toll is another story. Officially, the deaths are listed at 235, with most sources saying, vaguely, “and many or most of them were children.” But there were worries among the newspapers and boosters that the actual toll, thought by most to be much higher, would scare off new immigrants. Too, it was difficult to take an official count. Many people didn’t report deaths, or bodies weren’t discovered until the spring. Many died after lingering illnesses brought on by the storm, as well, and weren’t officially counted. And it appears no one really took count of those who perished on Indian reservations like the Great Sioux Reservation in what is now South Dakota.

  My primary sources for research were the excellent nonfiction book by David Laskin called The Children’s Blizzard, published in 2004, and the collection of memories of those who survived and witnessed the storm, titled In All Its Fury: A History of the Blizzard of January 12th, 1888, published in 1947. Archives of the Omaha Daily Bee were helpful as well.

  Considering the era in which we live, I was intrigued and moved by this tragedy involving immigrants, who were welcomed to this country, without whom America would not be what it is today—and who were lured here, in many cases, by outright falsehoods masquerading as news and fact. I was also fascinated by the touching stories of these young women—girls, really—teachers who were faced with impossible decisions. Some made the correct ones—and others did not.

  It is a fact that the Ogallala Aquifer is drying up, due to overfarming, faster than it is being replenished, and that someday soon, the Great Plains will be even more of an inland desert than it was when the first homesteaders arrived. And as we are faced with challenges of a climate and planet that are continuing to change due to human carelessness, we must take action now, before more lives are lost.

  To Alec

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  MY FAVORITE PART OF WRITING any book is thanking all those who helped make it possible:

  My deepest gratitude goes to Susanna Porter, who guided me along this thrilling journey. And as always, I wouldn’t even have a career if it wasn’t for Laura Langlie, my literary agent.

  I am so lucky to have the best team in the world at Penguin Random House: Kara Welsh, Kim Hovey, Gina Wachtel, Sharon Propson, Jennifer Garza, Susan Corcoran, Quinne Rogers, Leigh Marchant, Allyson Pearl, Robbin Schiff, Benjamin Dreyer, Loren Noveck, Allison Schuster, Emily Hartley, and Gina Centrello.

  Thank you to Kate Miciak, who coaxed this idea out of me.

  Much gratitude to the team at Authors Unbound, and to the wonderful sales reps at Penguin Random House.

  I couldn’t do this without my family, particularly Dennis Hauser, who is the best author whisperer in the world. He is assisted by Alec Hauser, Ben Hauser, Emily Curtis, and Norman Miller.

  And as always, thank you to the booksellers and readers who make it possible for me to do what I love.

  BY MELANIE BENJAMIN

  Alice I Have Been

  The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb

  The Aviator’s Wife

  The Swans of Fifth Avenue

  The Girls in the Picture

  Mistress of the Ritz

  Reckless Hearts (short story)

  The Children’s Blizzard

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  MELANIE BENJAMIN has written the New York Times bestselling historical novels The Aviator’s Wife and The Swans of Fifth Avenue, the nationally bestselling Alice I Have Been, and Mistress of the Ritz, The Girls in the Picture, and The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb. She lives in Chicago with her husband. When she isn’t writing, she’s reading.

  Melaniebenjamin.com

  Twitter: @MelanieBen

  Look for Melanie Benjamin on Facebook

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