On January 12, 1888, a sudden fierce blizzard slashed across the Midwest as temperatures fell to between 30 and 40 degrees below zero and a howling northwest wind swept the plains. The storm raged for 12 to 18 hours and was probably the most severe single blizzard to hit Nebraska since the settlement of the state. Sometimes called the school children’s storm, it caught many children away from home and brought many acts of heroism by parents, teachers, and the children themselves. Minnie Freeman, still in her teens and teaching at a school near here, became symbolic of those acts when the wind tore the roof off the sod schoolhouse and she led her pupils through the storm to a farmhouse a half mile away. Many other teachers performed similar acts of heroism, and at least one lost her life in the attempt. No accurate count of the total deaths is possible, but estimates for Nebraska have ranged from 40 to 100.