The Children's Blizzard

The attention of the national media soon descended on the destroyed communities of the Great Plains. Major cities like Chicago had received news of the blizzard’s approach before the Dakotas but paid it little attention at the time. Only after the extent of the damage was reported, as well as the youth of many of its victims, did newspapers start to seize on the narrative. The tragedies of George F. Allen and Robert Chambers were widely reported on. However, the courage of the young female schoolteachers like Minnie Freeman and Etta Shattuck most captivated the general public. A newspaper called the Omaha Bee started the Heroine Fund to reward the young women for their bravery. The Heroine Fund raised over $10,000 for the women, which was a particularly staggering sum in the 1880s.

The media narrative quickly took on a life of its own, however. Disputes about the number of dead became contentious. The official number estimated the dead at about 200; however, others claimed that the death toll was closer to 1,000. The accuracy of the death toll emerged as more than just statistics in the national narrative, instead becoming more about “prairie public relations” (243).