As much as we love it, life does not always run smoothly in our beautiful state… as in the case of the following disaster after disaster in North Dakota. There have been times when disaster in North Dakota has shaken up the entire nation. The whole state has had to come together to help rebuild and move on. From weather disasters to freak accidents, horrifying things have happened in North Dakota. We’ve done it many times. Looking back, these are possibly the top five worst things to happen in North Dakota’s history:

1. 1888 Schoolhouse Blizzard
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These sketches were published in a newspaper of the time period. This extremely deadly blizzard occurred on January 12, 1888 and was a nightmare for all who experienced it. Sadly, 235 people lost their lives to this winter storm in North Dakota. The high death toll was mostly a result of the fact that the storm was extremely fast-moving and thus unexpected. The weather had been relatively warm that day, with a cold front a few days prior but no other warning. Life carried on as normal, and people went on about their business. Most felt safe to go to work and school, since the weather seemed fine.

However, the deadly storm was already brewing. It blew through Montana and by midday, it was barreling across North Dakota with very little warning. Because of this, many people who were out, including schoolchildren, were now trapped wherever they happened to be. Many of them attempted to venture towards home, but were caught out in the blizzard. It was the demise of many children, and the storm would go down in history as the Schoolhouse Blizzard.
2. 1997 Red River Flood
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This devastating natural disaster in North Dakota resulted in approximately $3.5 billion in damages. It was the Red River's worst flood in over 150 years. Thousands of people were affected, mostly in Grand Forks. The extreme rise of the water reached over three miles inland, despite the best effort of building sandbag levees and other preventative tactics. Many people in North Dakota still remember this flood today. It frequently appears on lists of the worst natural disasters in North Dakota history, though, thankfully, no one died as a result of this flood.

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3. 1945 Michigan Train Wreck
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The worst rail disaster in North Dakota history occurred in the small town of Michigan. The Empire Builder, a Great Northern Railway train, collided with another Empire Builder that it was following. The trains were carrying many soldiers who were returning home from World War II. The trains were scheduled to be about 20 minutes apart from one another, heading in the same direction.

The first train had to stop shortly after going through Grand Forks. The engine had a smoking component that required a few quick repairs. This caused the delay between the two trains to become dramatically shorter, as the second train was still chugging along at full speed. The lead train reached Michigan and again had to stop to inspect the engine. At that point, the conductor realized that the second train was quickly approaching. The engineers tried to get the train moving again as fast as possible, but it was too late. The second train collided with the first from behind. All but two of the people in the rear train of the first car died. Some people spent more than six hours trapped in the wreckage.

No rail disaster in North Dakota history has come close to rivaling this one, and hopefully one never will.
4. 2011 Souris River Flood
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The Souris River is among the most beautiful rivers in North Dakota, but it can also be horrifying. It had been over a century since the Souris had flooded to anywhere near this magnitude. The 2011 one was among the worst floods in the state's history. Over 11,000 people were evacuated, and millions of dollars in damages were sustained. Luckily, there were clear warnings when waters began to overcome dikes placed around Minot. Most people were able to be evacuated in time. The flood broke many records and was quite damaging to the nearby area.
5. 1920 North Dakota Blizzard
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We're well-known for our snowstorms in North Dakota. One of the worst hit the state on March 15, 1920. Telephone lines across the state went down, and most of the state's rail lines were shut down as well. Sadly, 34 people were killed in the blizzard. Like in the earlier Schoolhouse Blizzard, most were children who were stuck out in the storm. The one-room, country school houses were far from their homes and they died trying to reach the safety of their residences.

These horrifying things to have happened in North Dakota will be forever remembered for the devastation they brought to our state. Another of the worst natural disasters in North Dakota, arguably the most terrible to ever happen here, was the 1957 Fargo Tornado. Nature can certainly show no mercy, even in the Peace Garden State.

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Worst Things To Happen In North Dakota

Lisa Sammons | June 03, 2022

What are some of the worst blizzards in North Dakota history?

We've had plenty of terrible winter storms in North Dakota: we are pretty far north, of course. We're famous for our blizzards here, and since much of the state is in rural, remote areas, the devastation can be pretty horrible. There just aren't rescue teams available like there would be in larger, more metropolitan areas. But we always manage to pull through, like we did after the terrible blizzard of 1966. This was the worst blizzard in North Dakota history. It lasted three days and some drifts were more than 20 feet high!

What are some more of the worst natural disasters in North Dakota history?

Besides the mighty blizzards, we also have had several other terrible natural disasters in North Dakota. Over the years, we've had our fair share of tornadoes, many of which caused great destruction and loss of life. The great Fargo tornado of 1957 was one of only two F5 tornadoes to hit the state. It resulted in the deaths of 10 people.

What are some major unsolved mysteries in North Dakota?

True crime fanatics will have a field day with some of the unsolved mysteries in North Dakota. One of the weirdest is the 2002 murder of Russell Turcotte, a 19-year old who disappeared and was found 100 miles away naked and murdered via blunt force trauma to the head. The murder still remains unsolved and has very few leads that have been released.

 

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