Blizzard of 1917: 52 Ancestors 2020 Prompt “Winter”

 

A Brutal February the Year My Father Was Born

 

            I wasn’t sure how to approach the 52 Ancestors “Winter” prompt until I ran across a vintage photo on Ebay from my hometown of Hanska. It was labeled “Hanska Blizzard Feb. 1917”.  It depicted a roadway with 2 wagon tracks in sharp black running down the snowy middle of the road. The roadway had been cleared of a large drift that had covered the road. Snow drifts formed walls flanking the road. I could just imagine the force of the wind that whipped up such enormous drifts, and the amount of labor—most by hand in 1917—that would have been required to make the road passable.

            My father, Juhl Peterson, was born August 1, 1917, so his mother would have been pregnant with him when this blizzard struck. I decided to do some research on the event. I discovered that the blizzard, one of six that battered Minnesota that February, wasn’t the worst of the winter problems residents faced. Here is a passage from an article by Mark Seeley in the 2017 issue of Farm Progress, titled, “February 1917: The Heart of a Brutal Winter”:

“The winter of 1916-17 was one of the cruelest in state history for a number of reasons. It started early, with widespread snow and cold blanketing the state by mid-October. From there, the cold became more intense and the snowfall more frequent. Over the three winter months — December through February — temperatures around the state averaged from 9 to 12 degrees F cooler than normal, and many climate stations reported extreme low temperatures ranging from -30 to -40 degrees F.

Some climate observers reported 12 to 15 days with morning low temperatures of -30 degrees F or colder. Seasonal snowfall accumulations in many areas were record-setting, ranging from 65 to 99 inches.

In the middle of this winter, the month of February brought persistent and extreme cold. The month started with 110 consecutive hours of below-zero degrees F temperature readings, finally rising above 0 degrees F on the afternoon of Feb. 5. For many areas of the state, only four nights brought low temperatures that remained above 0 degrees F. The only two days during the month with above-normal temperatures were Feb. 15 and 16. Monthly average temperatures from Minnesota climate stations ranged from 12 to 16 degrees F colder than normal. At the time, February 1917 was the coldest in state history, with an average statewide temperature value that was subzero in most places.

This magnitude of February cold was not surpassed until 1936. As the month closed, climate observers noted that lake ice was extremely thick, ranging from 20 to 40 inches in thickness. Many well pumps froze up, causing rural residents to harvest and thaw ice for water supply. There was little let up from the cold until March 20, when temperatures rose above 40 degrees F.

During February 1917, six blizzards crossed the state, mostly affecting northern and western counties. Snowfall totals exceeded 20 inches in many places, and snow depth exceeded 2 feet in most areas of the state.

During the first half of the month, these blizzard conditions blocked railroads for many days and caused many school closures. Farmers also reported some livestock losses associated with these storms.”

All I could think about was my grandmother Regina Peterson, then 45 years old and pregnant with what would be the last of her nine children, in a tiny house, probably no more than 900 square feet and with perhaps four rooms, trying to keep her family warm in those brutal temperatures.

Paul and Regina's small farmhouse circa 1917

The family couldn’t stay huddled by the stove or fireplace all day and night; farm work still had to be done. I don’t think the house had running water yet—they were still forced to pump well water. If the well froze over, they would have been melting snow to get water. The wood they needed to burn to keep the house warm would have been stored outside. The windows would have been single-paned and would have been drafty when the wind howled outside. The farm animals still had to be cared for—grain measured out, hay forked into pens in the barn, and water tanks cleared of ice. The work was hard and the family would have only had woolen clothing and leather gloves and boots to wear as they worked, possibly fur coats if they had them. I am amazed no one lost fingers or toes to frostbite given the extreme cold. The windchill would have been even more numbingly cold.

Paul and Regina Peterson on their wedding day

Reading about this horrible winter makes me admire my grandparents and uncles and aunts even more. They had to deal with the worst of nature without the tools we take for granted now—county snowplows to plow the roads, efficient furnaces and well-insulated homes to keep us warm when temperatures drop, and innovative fabrics like down coats, thinsulate gloves, and insulated boots. They were strong, determined people—true pioneer stock.

Sources:

https://www.farmprogress.com/weather/february-1917-heart-brutal-        minnesota-winter ; February 1917: The Heart of a Brutal Winter. Mark Seeley. Farm Progress. Jan. 4, 2017.