As the magical groundhog of weather has fortold, we’re to get six more weeks of winter. These early Kansans, however, had no idea this storm was coming, and definitely didn’t know it would last this long. January of 1886 was a rough month for these Western Kansans, for sure.

On January 5, 1886, the weather was mild, much like it has been here recently. Little did they know, however, that this was headed their way! A farmer in Caldwell was suspicious of this weather, and took to a nearby town for supplies. He barely made it home before the storm hit on January 6th.
Harvey County Historical Museum
Holy moly! Could you imagine moving to a place like Kansas where you expect short, mild winters and you get this?
The Topeka Daily Capital on Jan 9th told a story of the blizzard that had "Been raging since thursday" and many drifts had become over 6 feet tall.
Harvey County Historical Museum
I'm surprised they were able to print at all! Brr!

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Communications and traffic stopped everywhere. Trains couldn't get through the snow for days.
Harvey County Historical Museum
All that snow and no way out sounds horrifying. I'd hate to be the guy halfway between towns!
There's around 100 reported deaths attributed to freezing in this storm. In some areas, up to 75% of herds were lost.
Harvey County Historical Museum
Only three passenger trains made it to Denver that month.
Harvey County Historical Museum
I'll refrain from mentioning the Polar Express here, but you get the point. It was very, very cold and both human and animal lives were lost.

Doesn’t this storm sound terrifying! True, we’ve got heaters and better insulation, but it would be like black friday for bread and milk at your local grocery store! For more history, check out the links below.

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