SHSND Home > North Dakota History > Unit 7: Pretty Good Times on the Prairie, 1945 > Set 5: Floods & Blizzards > 1966 Blizzard - Ida Kellogg Letter

Unit 7: Set 5: Floods & Blizzards - 1966 Blizzard - Ida Kellogg Letter

Introduction | 1966 Blizzard | Hazel Miner | 1950 Flood | 1997 Flood | Activity

Introduction | Ida Kellogg Letter | Photographs

Shortly after the blizzard of March 2, 3 and 4, 1966, Ida Kellogg of Monango (Dickey County) wrote to a friend in Minneapolis describing the three day storm and how her family survived it:

Ida Kellogg Letter Page 1

March 15, 1966

Dear Harriet & Cal: -

Thank you for the nice letter.

I’ll tell you that snow storm was frightfull Never have we seen anything like it and it lasted 4 days winds up to 70 miles and 22 or 25 inchs snow. It was just terrible it’s a wonder boys & I didn’t get lost as were [we were] out in the storm every day trying to take care of the livestock. Boys were even up & out in the barn several times during the nite as we were lambing over 500 ewes. Were [we were] about half ...

Ida Kellogg Letter Page 2

... thru when the storm came.

We lost one wooled ewe and one is still sick Had over 400 wooled ewes outside and after the first day couldn’t move them as they were snow blind So we finally had to carry & haul 152 wooled sheep into a building Had we known it was going to be that bad a storm we would have put them into a shed - we were also worried about the cattle but as far as we know we didn’t lose any.

I cryed and I prayed so guess the good lord was with us. We had over one hundred head of cattle on the Lane farm and ...

Ida Kellogg Letter Page 3

[2]

... one day we didn’t even get up there Boys & I tried but had to go back and had we made it, [I] think we would have froze or got lost in the storm At times didn’t think we’d get into the house from the barn Snow piled 15 to twenty foot drifts all around the house & barn

After the storm we had to shovel & rebuild fences to keep the cattle in We did so much work in this last two week everyone is tired out.

Paul had to stay in ...

Ida Kellogg Letter Page 4

... during the storm and he worried & got terrible nervous. I don’t blame him. Other then that he’s felt pretty good –

We took the tailes of 620 new lambs and have some more to do. So you see we have been plenty busy

. . . [Carol] wants Dad & I to come up March 25 for Mothers day at the college,

We are planning on going unless we get flooded out or another snow storm comes.

Ida Kellogg Letter Page 5

[3]

. . .
I’d better get to bed as am bushed.

Love
The Kelloggs.

P. S. there has been lots of livestock lost One family lost 90 head of cattle another 45 another 64 and many many more Lots of family lost there pigs. & sheep So thank the Lord for being with us. I worry terrible about the livestock for it has to suffer.

Source: SHSND Mss 20272

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