Blizzard 1949

by Roy V. Alleman

Blizzard 1949

Genres: Nonfiction, History

200 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1991

Reviews

[Ethan Campbell]

This is a collection of reminiscences about the great Midwest blizzard of 1949, by a Nebraska rancher named Roy Alleman who lived through it and included some of his own memories. I was interested in it because I grew up in Ainsworth, Nebraska, and my dad knows a couple of the families whose stories are featured.

Don’t expect any gripping saga or poetic descriptions here – Alleman’s storytelling is really straightforward, seemingly just verbatim from the people he interviewed, and any drama comes only from the situations themselves. He also presents everything in rigorous chronological order, so often storylines that you’ve forgotten about will crop up again later with further details.

That said, this would make great raw material for anyone who wanted to write a more dramatic story about the Blizzard of 49, or just glean interesting tidbits about what it would be like to try surviving a blizzard, say, on a ranch miles away from civilization. Personally, I found the descriptions of passenger trains trying to plow their way through snowdrifts, sometimes making it and sometimes getting stuck, especially interesting.

Also, kudos to Mr. Alleman for writing this book when he was 82 years old (he passed away in 1999 at the age of 90). It’s never too late to start working on your masterpiece!

[Gregory]

Mostly focused on the Nebraska, Kansas, Wyoming, and Colorado, but the blizzard of 1949 was the largest to its time affecting much of the country in early January. It was the first in a series of blizzards giving no opportunity for ranchers and farmers to recover. Book focuses mostly on rural areas and the devestating effect the storm had on farmers and ranchers. Forecasters failed to predict the severity of the storm and many were caught going about there business when the sudden and intense snow storm and temperature drop left them seeking immediate shelter. Because of this, many had to rely on the kindness of strangers. For example, trains stalled in snow banks in towns of only a couple of hundred people, almost doubling the population, so these people had to go to homes or churches for relief. One of the things that amazed me is how kind people were in helping victims. I struggle to imagine that the same thing would happen in 2018. Many homes went days without food or heat. Book contains some detailed accounts of private pilots flying their small planes to specific farms or communities to provide emergency relief, such as medical care.

[Devonne West]

One word - WOW! This blizzard makes the Children's Blizzard of 1888 look like child's play.
If you are looking for a "story," this is probably not the book for you. Although this book has actual stories of individuals throughout the book, it really is the chronological facts that are packed within it. The winter of 1948-49 tells of the hardships so many people endured that basically started in November 1948 and didn't really end until March 1949....and then followed by flooding. Geez! These people really could not catch a break! It really just boggles the mind! In 1949, the estimated loss was $190 MILLION. Just for grins, I calculated today's equivalent to that amount, and it was $2,448,812,605.04. At one point during this blizzard, a bus could only go five to ten YARDS in an hour! These blizzards covered 1/3 of the US from the northern border down into Arizona!
In contrast to that devastation, it was heartwarming to see how people came together to help each other....this was even before the state/federal governments got involved. It was just neighbors helping neighbors. GREAT Book!

[Justin Rose]

Alleman tells about the 1949 Blizzard chronologically. Even though it only gets 2 stars, I'm glad I read it and would recommend it to others. The reason for my low rating is because it is mostly just a collection of testimonies linked only by the day they occurred. A couple of times characters were introduced who I wanted to root for, but since Blizzard is written strictly chronological, I don't find out the conclusion to their dilemmas for days later, which turns out be scores of pages away. By then I've lost interest.

[Michael]

3.5 stars. A good, fast read. Not much detail but a well written account. Spent a bit to much time on getting food to cows for my taste. Would have rather heard more on the people and their plights. But overall a good book. Also verifies my lack of desire to move up north. I've been in deep snow before and got nothing nice to say about it. I'd rather deal with a 100 degree day than a -20 degree day anytime. To each their own but for me, no thank you.

[Cyndi Ries]

Collection of reminiscences and pictures about the great Midwest blizzard, which was actually a series of blizzards, by 82-year-old Nebraska rancher Alleman. I’m from Nebraska and have heard these stories for years—hadn’t heard about the trains plowing through snow drifts, sometimes getting stuck or the planes/pilots risking their lives to supply food, hay, or medical supplies. Feel so sorry for the lives lost, human and animal.

[Nicholle]

Although mostly just a compilation of stories about the event, they were well tied together. I'm interested to see how it goes as a book discussion title, to see if there is enough meat to sustain a discussion.
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[Cyndi Berve]

From mom’s library. Fascinating account of the storms, rescues, & other history.

[Carol Wakefield]

Mr Alleman puts together anecdotes from persons who lived through the series of blizzards of the title. The very extreme weather rated as the worst set of blizzards in the history of the region. The plight of the people and animals plus the first local and eventually national government relief efforts makes a tense tale.

[Kennedy]

I got cold just reading this book: 38 inches of snow, winds 60+ mph, sub zero temps!

Thank goodness for my central furnace and electric blanket.

[Kelly]

In the hands of someone like Timothy Egan, this could have been a really phenomenal book.

[Kristy Tatton]

This was a very interesting book. I had kind of a hard time following everyone's different stories but it definitely put the suffering people went through into perspective.

[Sheila]

Very interesting. Can hardly imagine what those people went through.