The Children's Blizzard

Lieutenant Thomas Mayhew Woodruff was a career officer in the United States Army, previously a soldier and, in the events of the novel, a weather reporter working for the Signal Corps in St. Paul, Minnesota. Woodruff was responsible for predicting the origins and movement of weather in the Dakotas, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Iowa. Woodruff played a role in the Children’s Blizzard in his failure to properly inform the public of the severity of the storm.

At 12:15 am on January 12, Woodruff sent out his weather predictions via Western Union to the newspapers of the surrounding cities and to other weather stations, calling for snow and high winds. Woodruff failed to declare a cold wave warning, believing it “better not to cry wolf” (87). Woodruff operated with the knowledge that his position could be in jeopardy over disputes or political infighting; declaring sure predictions was the easiest way to avoid conflict and maintain his role.

Brigadier General Adolphus Greely began commanding the Signal Corps in 1887. Known for being “dogmatic, stubborn, uncompromising” (95), Greely was appointed to this position to organize and legitimize the Corps, which was sometimes known for falsifying predictions or even selling Corps equipment for personal gain. Despite this, scandals continued under his command. Greely fired 100 employees in his first year with the Signal Corps. He was responsible for creating Woodruff’s position in St. Paul.

Greely notoriously downplayed the severity of the Children’s Blizzard for political reasons, as was a habit of many in the face of dangerous weather conditions in the Great Plains. The truth about the blizzard, and about other disastrous weather events unique to the region, could have frightened potential settlers. This hurt the government’s plans to spread European settlements throughout America, and so, many felt pressured to oversell the positives of the area and disregard the negatives.