By M. Byers
The year is 1918 in the American Midwest. The economy is a thriving network of goods and resources traded and transported by railroad cars. The winter has been a usual one with nothing special to report. Then everything changed early January. A blizzard like no other struck Illinois and moved to Indiana and eventually Ohio. These three states were blanketed with snow. Cities like Chicago and Indianapolis where buried. The weather had gotten so bad railroads were totally shut down[i]. Not only did this severely hinder the economies of these cities, it halted out of state relief efforts.
Trains were literally frozen to the track. Businesses such as taxi firms simply suspended all operations and refused to pick people up. Public theaters opened to house homeless citizens from the freezing weather. With no national relief it was up to the citizens to aid themselves. Businesses shut down operations so their workers could help shovel snow. Community members banded together to move massive amounts of snow. Cities hired workers during the blizzard to go out in the extremely cold conditions and shovel snow.[ii] Frost bite was a regular occurrence. Many citizens wish they saw this coming.
Months before the blizzard most Americans main concerns involved the war. The United States was four years into World War 1. Earlier that year the United States had severed all ties with Germany and since then the war had only gotten bloodier and more gruesome.[iii] President Woodrow Wilson was in the second half of his final term in office. This war had become the defining event of his presidency. Also around that time soon to be notorious gangster Al Capone earned the nickname Scarface. After making unwanted advances at “New York Hood” named Frank Galluccio sister in a dance hall. Galluccio proceeded to cut Capone’s face three times[iv]. In California, an up and coming magician by the name of Houdini tried and failed his first attempt at being buried alive. After being covered with dirt 6 feet under, he attempted to dig himself out scarcely reaching the surface be he became unconscious[v]. 1917 was filled with many events.
It wasn’t until later that year when the country realized it was in for a very cold winter. States like Tennessee and West Virginia had experienced record cold temperatures that December.[vi] Both states reaching lower than negative thirty degrees. By January 1918 the country had thought it saw the worst the winter had to offer.
Blizzards were not uncommon to the United States. The country had seen many before. The term blizzard originally meant the sound that comes from a cannon or a musket shot. According to accuweather.com, “Blizzards are dangerous winter storms that are a combination of blowing snow and wind resulting in very low visibilities. While heavy snowfalls and severe cold often accompany blizzards, they are not required. Sometimes strong winds pick up snow that has already fallen, creating a ground blizzard.”[vii] In the U.S. the greatest blizzard recorded happened a few years earlier in 1913. On December 4th, Georgetown Colorado reached temperatures of negative 48 degrees Fahrenheit and received 63 inches of snow.[viii]
The Blizzard didn’t exclusively hit the Midwest. States throughout the middle of the country were devastated. Cities were totally cut off from the outside. Throughout the interior of the country, nearly every line of transportation was put totally out of commission. The blizzard originated in Canada and quickly made its way through the Midwest. The storm hit Chicago Friday night January 11 and continued into the next day.[ix] Negative 20 degrees was very common.
The railroads which were a major part of the country’s economy were heavily affected. Throughout the past few years railroads had become the backbone of American trade. The war had encouraged the railroad industry to flourish.[x] Many peoples well-being depended upon the trains. Goods were moved almost primarily through the railroad system. When the blizzard hit, it totally crippled this system. The snow made it impossible for any movement on the tracks. Train stalled on tracks leaving people and goods wherever the snow stopped them. Throughout the Midwest trains were stalled and halted. Some railroad stations completely shut down temporally. One of the main things transported by railroad was fuel. Factories were forced to shut down due to the lack of coal. Workers were forced into temporary layoffs.[xi] Without it, cities slowly began to slip into the dark ages. This lack of fuel hastened the decline of cities.
With the railroad system totally shut down cities were disconnected from each other. This left towns to fend for themselves. The Chicago Tribune wrote “ Attempts on the part of the city street department to clear the loop district of snow were given over early in the day when 300 men and a number of teams became exhausted in the blinding storm and had to quit work.”[xii] There were fears that cites would suffer from famine. Newspapers report their concern for all the babies of the cities. Milk shortages arose due to the restricted means of travel. Hotels were full and a “room famine”[xiii] was also a serious threat. Churches and theaters however were empty. A few people did indeed die due to the cold weather and harsh conditions. Chicago conditions only worsened when streetlights were blow out by the wind. It made travel at night impossible and extremely dangerous. Newspapers with heading such as “Zero Blizzard tightens Grip on Midwest” “Blizzard Ties Up Entire City; Suffering Follows Wake of Storm” and “Blizzard Buries Chicago” relayed the distress cities felt. Street cars struggled to stay in operation.
Plows and hundreds of men were hired to shovel snow to keep the car lines clear.[xiv] Citizens came together and raised money to help buy things like boots and mittens for local workers.[xv] Citizens were banning together to solve the snow issues. Theaters were opened for people to sleep in. This was similar to the actions taken by New Orleans after hurricane Katrina in 2005. Refugees were housed in public places to help relief from natural disasters. In this situation, just like in the blizzard federal help was less than expected. Citizens had to take care of themselves and each other. The saving graces of many of the cities were the business owners. They helped supply men who were shoveling. They also allowed their workers to take days off to help.
In Fort Wayne the story was similar.
People in more rural areas such as farmers had different issues with the blizzard. Originally they welcomed the snow. There had been a drought and their crops desperately needed water. The incoming snow would provide all they needed. They didn’t however anticipate the harshness of the blizzard. The winds were more intense than any of the farmers had planned. The crops throughout the country had been blown bare.[xvi] The prices for crops went up in the next year, unfortunately, there was nothing to harvest.
The blizzard was said to be “The worst general blizzard known in the history of the government weather bureau”[xvii] It reached record cold temperatures and had winds at record speeds. It was a wonder there were not more casualties. After the disaster things went back to normal. The countries focus returned to the war which the United States eventually won. There have been multiple blizzards since this one and even till this day the system for response and rescue is flawed. Plows are still the number one way to clear snow.
This disaster showed that when communities banded together they were very resilient. It let citizens know that in the wake of a disaster, people can’t always rely on their government to step in and save them. In the years to follow, America would transition into an even more prosperous place. Good and bad the country had a lot more to experience. The war ended later that year. Germany surrendered and the allies were victorious. The U.S. had helped to win the world’s first Great War, but in 1920 a whole type of war within the borders would begin. This war known as prohibition was fought over alcohol and civil rights. Women suffrage would help bring the country one step closer to being a truly equal place. The 1920’s would become a decade of cultural and economic prosperity. The country would continue to grow until a manmade disaster in 1929 known as the great depressions struck the country. This would eventually lead to World War 2.
[i] Chicago Daily Tribune;Jan 13 1918 pg1
[ii] Chicago Daily Tribune;Jan 13 1918 pg1
[iii] World History Project .org -http://worldhistoryproject.org/perspectives/6eede45122d64a6146328af221345cc9
[iv] World History Project. org -http://worldhistoryproject.org/1917/al-capone-becomes-scarface-from-knife-fight
[v] World History Project- http://worldhistoryproject.org/1917/houdini-performs-buried-alive-escape
[vi] History orb.com - http://www.historyorb.com/events/date/1917?p=2
[vii] Accuweather.com- http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/what-is-a-blizzard/5674708
[viii] Livescience -http://www.livescience.com/32210-what-is-a-blizzard.html
[ix] Chicago Daily Tribune;Jan 13 1918 pg4
[x] Lecture notes wed Jan 22 2014
[xi] Chicago Daily Tribune;Jan 13 1918 pg4
[xii] Chicago Daily Tribune;Jan 7 1918 pg1
[xiii] Chicago Daily Tribune;Jan 7 1918 pg1
[xiv] Chicago Daily Tribune;Jan 7 1918 pg1
[xv] Chicago Daily Tribune;Jan 13 1918 pg1
[xvi] Chicago Daily Tribune;Jan 12 1918 pg 2
[xvii] Chicago Daily Tribune;Jan 13 1918 pg4
