The Great Blizzard of 1873

Esten died in a blizzard that also took the lives of two young children who only lived a few miles away.  He apparently died trying to check on his livestock in the barn, but wasn’t able to make it back. He was buried on his property, and the site is now the Berg Cemetery. He was the first person to be interred there. The photo above is 40 years after his death, but it clearly shows what a three day blizzard can do.


Just how bad was the blizzard? Two children also died nearby, but it took two months, and a spring thaw to find their bodies. When they were discovered “it was evident that the boy had died standing by his sister, but had fallen over as the snow melted away.”


The Blizzard in “History of Minnehaha County” •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

This account is from "History of Minnehaha County, South Dakota" by Dana R. Bailey


BLIZZARDS

Although Minnehaha county is not remarkable for severe storms, still there have been some that are worthy of mention.


Perhaps the most notable one that occurred since white people commenced to inhabit this county was the January blizzard of 1873. It extended throughout Dakota, Minnesota, a portion of Iowa and the northern half of Wisconsin. Upwards of seventy people perished in Minnesota. In Minnehaha county the storm commenced in the forenoon of the 7th, and continued with but little abatement for nearly three days; four persons lost their lives and several others met with narrow escapes.


Robert Foster, who lived with his family in a sod-shanty in the northwest part of section 33 in Benton, lost two children. On the morning of the storm his son Robert, fourteen years old, and his daughter Sarah, twelve years old, started out to go a little over a half a mile north, where some bait had been put out for foxes, when the storm overtook them. They walked about a mile and a half south and a half a mile east, and finally stopped in a roofless sod-shanty, where they were found on the l5th day of March following, the girl still standing, and it was evident that the boy had died standing by his sister, but had fallen over as the snow melted away.


The other persons who perished in the storm were A. M. Abbott and a Scandinavian, whose name the writer has been unable to learn.


(*Esten was the Scandinavian)



The Blizzard in “History of Dakota Territory” •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Here's another account from pages 260-261 in "History of Dakota Territory" by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. IV (1915)

LINK


JOHN R. FOSTER

On the 7th of January, 1873, a brother and sister of our subject, aged respectively fourteen and twelve years, went a short distance from home and soon afterward a blizzard came up suddenly. The children wandered in the storm to an old sod house which stood out on the prairie and there sought shelter from the driving snow. However, as the house was roofless it afforded but poor protection against the blizzard and the children perished, their bodies being buried in the snow. Our subject and the father were absent from home at the time. Weeks passed and in spite of continued searching the bodies of the children were not found, but in March a neighbor dreamed that the children were in the old house and on the 16th of that month their bodies were found there.



Where Does This Take Place? ••••••••••••


Here’s a map of the above events.




There’s an Historical Marker on the site.

LINK


Click the images for side one and two.








Esten in “The History of Minnehaha County” ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Esten was the father of both Sivert and Jens Berg’s wives; Guru (wife of Sivert Berg) and Ellen (wife of Jens Berg).  Esten’s wife Kari died in Goodhue county, Minnesota.  His son Esten Eggen and son in-law Jens Berg made the trip back to Goodhue to bring Esten Volden to Minnehaha county. Here’s a link to the story.


Esten C. Eggen and Wife Guru • LINK



Esten Jonson’s son Esten Eggen ••••••••


Click the image for larger view.


“According to a typed letter from the donor this photo of Esten Eggen of Baltic depicts a humorous image of him, since he did not smoke and could not play the violin”


Here’s a link to more information from the Siouxland Heritage Museum. 

LINK



Esten Eggen and wife 

Click the image for larger view.


Photo from “The History of Minnehaha County”



Esten Eggen Bio

Click the image for larger view.


From “History of Dakota Territory”




Esten & Maria Moen (Moan) ••••••••••••••••

Son of Esten Eggen.


MOEN, ESTEN E., was born in Norway November 29, 1857. He emigrated to this country with his father Esten E. Eggen, and lived with him in Minnesota and Dakota until he took up as a homestead the east half of the northwest quarter of section 19, in Mapleton. He is also the owner of the southeast quarter of the northeast quarter of section 20, in the same town. He has held the office of road supervisor and has been school district treasurer ten years. He is a respected citizen.



Gertie (Moen) Moan ••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Daughter of above. She had a brother Edward. Neither of them married. There are no descendants.


Gertie died in 1972. She donated her family history and photos to Augustana College. They are located in the Western Studies Archive.

LINK


Gertie Moen Papers

Papers, 1830-1872

Folder # 30145

Photocopies of papers relating to Moen's grandfather, Esten E. Eggen, a homesteader near Sioux Falls c. 1871.  The collection includes a copy of a family history and photos.



Gertie (Moen) Moan

More on this later.

Click Image for a larger view





Gertie (Moen) Moan

Very small photo. It was already opened on the back, so I scanned it without the frame.

Click Image for a larger view



She’s reading the November 1905 edition of “The Designer” magazine. 

Click Image for a larger view


Here’s a couple collections of “The Designer” magazine covers.

LINK 1    •     LINK 2



Here’s a scan with my hand. The original photo is no larger than my thumb.

Click Image for a larger view

 

Esten’s Death in a Dakota Bizzard


Esten Jonson Volden   

1st burial in Berg Cemetery

Born: 1804

Died: 7 Jan 1873

He was the father of Elen and Guru. He was also known as Esten Jonsson Volden Sondre Kjollhaug




Esten E. Eggen    

Born: 1830

Died: 17 May 1901

Guru (Gurie) O. Eggen

Born: 1827  •  Died: 1917



Berg Cemetery •••••••


Click the image for a larger view.

Thanks to George Carlson for this page from the Old Nidaros Church 125 anniversary booklet published in 1993. Fun to read!

 

PHOTO ABOVE: Digging out after a three-day snowstorm in North Dakota about 1913. Hand Colored photograph. The Northern Great Plains, 1880-1920: Photographs from the Fred Hultstrand and F.A. Pazandak Photograph Collections.

Here’s a link to the photo above:   LINK      Here’s a link to the entire collection:  LINK