All Hell Broke Loose: Experiences of Young People During the Armistice Day 1940 Blizzard

by William H. Hull

How young people coped with the storm of the century -

59 people died in Minnesota on November 11, 1940 when the worst blizzard ever hit Minnesota unexpectedly. Violet walked from Seven Corners in Minneapolis to 32nd street with snow over her knees, in subzero temperature, with only saddle oxfords and a light wrap. Farmers lost thousands of turkeys - Herb tells of rendering a half million frozen gobblers. Alvin in Warroad barely got his boat back to the dock. Andy and a group of Iron Rangers, preparing for deer hunting the next weekend, spent this weekend struggling through the blizzard, barely saving their lives. Dwight, of Marshall, crawled 200 yards to build a fire for a man about to freeze to death. Sherman kept isolated Albert Lea in touch with the world. Read these stories and many more in All Hell Broke Loose, and experience the blizzard.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, American History

236 pages, Paperback

Published June 1, 1985

Reviews

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting about all the different stories people had. The story about the storm and weather happening were similar, but each person was different, where they were and what happened to each of them. I liked the ones about if they went out of their way to help or actually save someone.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

What was noted as the storm of the century, William Hull compiled personal stories of the Armistice Day Blizzard of 1940 leaving the reader with a feeling of actually experiencing what the people went through. We take gigantic storms, almost, for granted in today's world of high tech weather tracking but in 1940 there were no or few warnings on a day that was spring like in November and turned deadly by late morning. 59 people died in Minnesota alone, turkey farmers lost upwards of 500,000 turkeys, livestock froze to death - people were stranded in the cities as well as the country roads. People opened their homes to strangers, in one several instances, bus loads of school children that couldn't get home. Truly amazing first hand accounts of a variety of experiences.

[Emily Koester · Rating 2 out of 5]

While it is extraordinary to have compiled a book of so many peoples' individual accounts of that historic storm, it was a bit of a drab to read. Perhaps this book would mean more to someone who experienced the storm, but I could only read so many accounts of the same sort of thing before it got kinda boring.

That being said, I actually new nothing about this historic storm before this book, and I can only imagine surviving a storm like that.

[Ness · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book gets a little monotonous and repetitive. Same type of story from each person, just a different area of the state. Began interesting, then just fizzled for me, and became boring. It was okay.

[Pam Herrmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Experiences of many people in Minnesota during the Armistice Day Blizzard on November 11,1940 when a sudden blizzard caught many people unaware. Many of the 49 people who died were duck hunters.
The stories were interesting but became a little redundant after awhile.

[Jeffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Individual accounts of the Armistice Day blizzard of 1940. Interesting but redundant at times.

[Tara Syverson Wroblewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great first-hand accounts of people who bravely lived through this horrific storm where many people and livestock lost their lives.

[Kirstin B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect book to read during Minnesota’s 4th snowiest February on record. It was nice how the book was divided into different regions of the state.

[Jeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting accounts of the Armistice Day blizzard, November 11, 1940 by people who lived through it as told to the author 40+ years after the storm.

[Jaidyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this was a great book for people who like informational books. I didn't love it because i'm not a non fiction person. It was really informational and a lot of great facts. it makes me want to read a lot more! i thought i would'nt like at all but i wanted to try something new so i tried it and it was pretty good.

[Mary Shafer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The quality of the publication is rather typical for a regional press, meaning the book would have benefited from the firm hand of a professional editor, but other than that, I really enjoyed this title. As an avid fan of stories about real-life weather disasters and extreme weather events, I began to see mentions of the Armistice Day Blizzard of 1940 in other books. I was stunned that I'd never heard about it before in my extensive reading in this area. I realized that it must have been because it was a rather localized event, mainly in the upper Midwest. Having read David Laskin's excellent "The Children's Blizzard" about the March, 1888 storm across the Great Plains and into this same region, I thought I might enjoy learning about a more recent but similar event.

Indeed I did. Though the tone of this compilation of essays from those who actually lived through the 1940 blizzard is, as might be expected, a bit uneven, I do believe the narrative benefits at some level from being told in first person by these folks, in a way that a third person account simply couldn't capture. I found that, over the arc of the collection from beginning to end, there were several main points that arose again and again, but the quality of the smaller details -- in such a case as this, the ones that really bring home the sense of physical and emotional experience -- differ widely. And that makes all the difference in bringing these recollections to life for the reader.

Having spent 30 years in Wisconsin, four of those very close to the area affected in these stories, I remain incredulous that I never heard about this particular storm before, but I'm glad I finally learned about it and was able to immerse myself in these stories in depth and at my leisure. This is one of the great joys of reading; that voices from those long past can reach forward over the years and the miles to set the reader smack dab in the midst of the events described. As someone fascinated with the impact of the natural world on living beings, I always welcome this kind of story, and this anthology was well curated and very interesting. Glad I bought it and spent the time with it that I did. It has earned a permanent place in my personal weather library.

[Margo · Rating 3 out of 5]

An unusual "disaster book," in that it is a set of personal recollections by a large number of people who were "young" at the time of the Armistice Day blizzard of 1940, which affected the upper Plains states, particularly Minnesota. The swift, unheralded, and frightful change in weather conditions brought suffering and a number of deaths in the countryside and the city. I was interested because we had been given a framed print named for the blizzard. It was interesting to learn about people's day-to-day lives in 1940 (and the lack of meteorological science).

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a compilation of stories or "memories" of surviving the 1940 Armistice Day blizzard here in the midwest. Some stories were fascinating but after reading most of them the themes were similar...it snowed, it was cold, we got stuck, etc. etc. (Typical Minnesota winter - ha)

[Jeannie]

These stories really make you appreciate our modern day weather forecasting! I thought it was funny that we still do the same thing as they did - run to the store. This book is a good collection of stories of families from all over Minnesota and how they survived (or did not survive) the storm.

[Deborah Pommer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading the stories of how people survived during the Armistice Day Blizzard. I'm from Minnesota so the places mentioned in book are very familiar to me. I can almost hear the wind and feel the snow pellets as they hit your face.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful, first hand accounts of the Armistice Day Blizzard.

[Laurie]

So glad that the weather prediction we have now is so much better. It was a very interesting book. After I read it I asked my father-in-law about his experience during that time. It was a good story.

[Mary Chambers · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was quite the storm. It was a little unnerving to read while traveling for the winter holidays. But then, I don't live in Minnesota any more.

[Larsenross · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book contains true stories of life and death about individuals dealing with a sudden winter storm.
The book holds one's interest.
It makes one appreciate current weather forecasting.