Frank Carlson Library

By April, eight blizzards had pounded western Minnesota and North Dakota. It was the worst winter anyone had seen. Livestock froze. Farm buildings caved in. Whole towns shut sown, Snow piled in 12-foot drifts. Then came the snowmelt. Then came the flood. One emergency official warned: "Yes, we're going to have floods. There is little we can do to stop the water. But we can be ready for it. And be sure that people are out of harm's way." Were they...