North Dakota
From 40-Foot-High Snow Drifts To 70-MPH Winds, Go Inside The Brutal North Dakota Blizzard Of 1966
The brutal blizzard of 1966 hit many U.S. states, but North Dakota was arguably struck the hardest — with wind gusts exceeding 70 miles per hour, snowfall totaling over 30 inches, and severely limited visibility that remained near-zero for about 30 hours.
NOAA Photo LibraryNorth Dakota Department of Transportation employee Bill Koch standing next to power lines that were buried by a snow drift after the North Dakota blizzard of 1966.
People living in North Dakota are used to extreme weather. In the summer, thunderstorms are common and temperatures can spike to over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. In the winter, residents habitually face bitterly cold winds and temperatures that plunge far below freezing. But the North Dakota blizzard of 1966 stands out as one of the worst in U.S. history.
It began in March, a time when much of the country is starting to think about spring. On March 2nd, it began to snow heavily in North Dakota, and wind gusts of up to 70 miles an hour created mountainous snow drifts across the state. Visibility was close to zero in some areas, and certain places even suffered through 30 straight hours of near-zero visibility.
The North Dakota blizzard of 1966 lasted through March 4th, and killed at least 18 people in North Dakota and the surrounding states, as well as thousands of livestock. It stands as a harrowing reminder of the power of nature — even in places used to extreme weather — and the deadliness of winter storms.
How A “Colorado Low” Brought An Intense Winter Storm To The Great Plains
By 1966, North Dakota had endured several intense blizzards. In January 1888, a violent blizzard killed 112 people and decimated the state’s open range cattle industry. Then, in March 1941, another blizzard whipped up with little warning, killing 39 people, many of whom were trapped in their cars. But the North Dakota blizzard of 1966, while less deadly, brought some of the worst conditions to the state in March 1966.
National Weather ServiceThe North Dakota blizzard of 1966 was part of a “Colorado Low” weather system.
Then, the National Weather Service reports that a weather system known as a “Colorado Low” started moving north up through South Dakota. This kind of weather system, a low-pressure system that usually occurs in the winter, forms around the southwest portion of the U.S. and then makes its way east. It can bring very intense precipitation, which is exactly what it did in North Dakota.
On March 2nd, heavy snow began to fall. But even though temperatures were relatively mild at first — in the 20s — and though people had plenty of warning about the coming storm, the blizzard would be one of the worst in the state’s history.
Wind, Snow, And Low Visibility: Inside The North Dakota Blizzard Of 1966
As the State Historical Society of North Dakota recounts, the North Dakota blizzard of 1966 came with plenty of warning, but most people had never experienced a snowstorm so powerful before. Though travelers were instructed to stay off the highway, and city residents were advised to stay indoors, some still became trapped in the storm, and others were killed as the blizzard unfurled across the state.
North Dakota Department of Transportation/FacebookA train buried in the snow during the North Dakota blizzard of 1966.
Between March 2nd and March 4th, the state was pummeled by heavy snowfall, with some locations receiving 20 to 30 inches of snow. Meanwhile, icy winds with gusts as high as 70 miles per hour howled through the air, creating massive snow drifts. Some of these snow drifts grew to be 30 or even 40 feet tall, practically burying power lines and road signs. But one of the worst parts of the North Dakota blizzard of 1966 was the near-zero level of visibility.
Places like Fargo had little or no visibility for 30 straight hours. The outside world was practically blind white, and this was extremely dangerous.
The Peril Of The North Dakota Blizzard Of 1966
In the end, at least 18 people died due to the North Dakota blizzard of 1966 (five in North Dakota itself, and others in nearby states like Minnesota and South Dakota). The conditions proved to be deadly in different ways.
State Historical Society of North DakotaHere, a North Dakota resident escapes from his house. Because of high snow drifts, he escaped via the attic window.
In Strasburg, a six-year-old girl got separated from her brothers while trying to make it to a barn 60 feet from their house. Tragically, she was found frozen to death two days later. In Woodworth, a 12-year-old girl stepped outside to close up a chicken coop, and apparently got lost trying to make her way back to the house, 100 feet away. She too was found frozen to death.
Lost children were not the only victims — several men had heart attacks during the North Dakota blizzard of 1966, either while trying to shovel snow or make their way through the storm. And tens of thousands of livestock perished, including at least 18,500 cattle, 7,500 sheep, 7,000 turkeys, and 600 hogs. Some died in the storm itself, some were killed by collapsing barns, and others suffocated after becoming trapped in barns because of the high snow drifts.
State Historical Society of North DakotaA cow that froze to death during the North Dakota blizzard of 1966. Thousands of livestock died during the storm, costing the state millions of dollars.
But some people managed to escape extremely dangerous situations.
Near New Salem, three trains, including one carrying 500 passengers, became stuck in the snow. The trains had to be dug up with shovels, because the snow drifts were too deep for local snowplows. Meanwhile, at least two couples became trapped while trying to make their way to a hospital for their children’s births. One woman ended up giving birth in a farmhouse; the other in a car. And scores of people became stuck in their vehicles when the conditions grew too dangerous, and couldn’t be rescued until the storm started to let up.
Indeed, the storm all but shut the state down for several days. Schools closed, newspapers weren’t able to publish the news, phone service was knocked out, and traffic was largely halted. Even once conditions began to clear, the effects of the blizzard were still acutely felt.
The Damage Caused By The Winter Storm
When the storm cleared, North Dakotans and other residents of the Great Plains took account of the aftermath, and found that they’d lived through one of the worst winter storms in U.S. history. Snowfall records were set at Devils Lake (which got 30.5 inches of snow), as well as Grand Forks (which got 27.8 inches of snow). This, the wind, and the duration of the storm made it an “all-time record blizzard” for the state of North Dakota.
North Dakota Department of Transportation/FacebookA man next to a towering snow drift in the aftermath of the North Dakota blizzard of 1966.
It was also an expensive storm. The loss of livestock alone cost the state millions of dollars. But the storm had also shut down businesses and schools, stopped the movement of goods, and damaged infrastructure.
Thus, while people living in the Great Plains are used to intense weather, the North Dakota blizzard of 1966 certainly stands out in the region’s history. Immensely powerful and destructive, it hung over the northern states for days. Its mammoth snow drifts, high winds, and low visibility made it an especially treacherous storm, and led to the tragic loss of many lives.
But the people of the Great Plains are hardy. As the State Historical Society of North Dakota stated:
“Snow is part of winter routine on the northern Great Plains. Rather than drive people away or prevent the development of towns and cities, people learn to adapt to the usual cold and snow of winter and to accept unusual storms such as that of March 1966 as part of life in the semi-arid north.”
After reading about the North Dakota blizzard of 1966, discover the wild story of the Blizzard of 1888, the “Great White Hurricane” that tore through the Eastern Seaboard. Or, learn the stories of some of the worst blizzards in history.
On this day in 1971, Rugby repeated as North Dakota’s high school sand greens golf champion behind medalist Dwight Stempson’s winning performance.
Here is the complete story as it appeared in the paper that day:
Rugby Repeats As Sand Greens Golf Champion
RUGBY, N. D. — Rugby repeated as North Dakota high school sand greens golf champion here Wednesday, posting a four-man total of 293 strokes for 18 holes.
Led by medalist Dwight Stempson’s medalist 36-35 — 71, the Panthers were eight strokes ahead of runnerup Stanley, which had a 301. Following were Garrison 311, Beulah 315, Leeds 322, Ashley 323, Bottineau 328, Pembina 329, Tioga 332, Parshall 341 and Hettinger 342.
Stempson and teammate Bruce Carlson each had one-under par 71s, but Carlson was unable to be at the regional and wasn’t qualified for individual honors.
Rounding out the Rugby totals were Delwin Wilson 40-37 — 77 and Dennett Hutchinson 35-39 — 74. Gary Kirchoffner, 41-39 — 80, was Rugby’s fifth entrant with the best four-of-five scores counted.
Runnerup Stanley was led by Steve Springan’s 34-38 — 72 and Joe Springan’s 36-38 — 74. Their two-man total of 146 strokes was good enough for the doubles title. Two strokes back with a 148 was the duo of Stempson and Wilson. Stan Saathoff and Mike Stepina of Garrison each had 76s for a 152 total and the Ashley combo of Steve Maier (76) and Dave Kretschmar (78) was fourth with a 154.
Stempson was the driving contest winner with a distance of 280 yards. Chris Knutson of Garrison headed the pitch and putt competition.
Kate Almquist is the social media manager for InForum. After working as an intern, she joined The Forum full time starting in January 2022. Readers can reach her at kalmquist@forumcomm.com.
Walhalla keeps the oldest buildings in North Dakota, fur-trade posts from the 1840s still standing near the Canadian line. Medora sits out in the Badlands, where a French aristocrat tried to build a beef empire in 1883. Garrison fishes one of the largest reservoirs in the country, and Jud has turned nearly every wall in town into a mural. The frontier era left marks across North Dakota that most of the Plains has paved over, and these ten towns still carry them. Each one holds a specific piece of the state’s history and geography.
Garrison
Garrison sits on the north shore of Lake Sakakawea, the reservoir the Garrison Dam holds back on the Missouri River and one of the largest reservoirs in the country. Anglers come year-round for walleye, northern pike, and chinook salmon, and the lake also draws boaters, campers, and shoreline hikers. In town, the open-air Heritage Park Museum preserves a one-room schoolhouse, a railroad depot, a country church, and a homesteader cabin from the turn of the last century. Fort Stevenson State Park, three miles southwest, marks the site of an 1860s military post with an interpretive guardhouse, a marina, a campground, and lakeside trails. Garrison leans into its self-declared title as the Walleye Capital of North Dakota with Wally the Walleye, a 26-foot fiberglass fish on Main Street.
Mayville
Mayville State University anchors this Red River Valley town in Traill County. The public four-year college opened in 1889 as one of the six original state normal schools authorized at North Dakota statehood, and its calendar still drives the town through Comet athletics, theater productions, and the annual Festival of Trees. Island Park, set along the Goose River where it runs through downtown, holds the town’s main recreation space with picnic areas, playgrounds, and a community pool. The volunteer-tended Rainbow Garden along the riverbank mixes themed plantings with folk-art sculptures. The Mayville Water Park runs its pool and slides from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
Lisbon
Lisbon grew up along the Sheyenne River in Ransom County as a Northern Pacific Railroad town, and its 1889 Opera House, now restored and on the National Register, still hosts theater and music. Brick storefronts from the same era line Main Street. Just south of town, the Sheyenne National Grassland protects 70,000 acres of tallgrass prairie, the largest publicly owned tallgrass prairie in the country, with trails open to hikers, riders, and limited hunting. Prairiewood Vineyard, about six miles out, grows cold-climate grapes and pours tastings on weekends.
Fort Ransom
Fewer than 100 people live in Fort Ransom year-round, deep in the wooded Sheyenne River Valley. Fort Ransom State Park preserves the site of an 1867 Army outpost built to guard settlers and the wagon route toward the Black Hills, and it now offers camping, paddling on the Sheyenne, and cross-country skiing. The park’s Sodbuster Days each September run horse-powered farming, threshing, and traditional-craft demonstrations, and the Sheyenne Valley Arts and Crafts Festival fills it over the Fourth of July weekend. The town anchors the Sheyenne River Valley Scenic Byway, a 63-mile route through some of the most varied terrain in the state.
Devils Lake
Devils Lake takes its name from the Dakota “Mni Wak’áŋ,” or Spirit Water, and sits beside the largest natural lake in North Dakota. Between 1993 and 2011, floodwaters more than doubled the lake, swelling it from roughly 70 square miles to over 200 and swallowing roads, farms, and woodland as it rose. Today it holds one of the most productive perch and walleye fisheries in the Upper Midwest. Graham’s Island State Park, on the western shore, is the main access point, with cabins, a campground, a swimming beach, and boat ramps. Fort Totten State Historic Site nearby preserves an 1867 military post with sixteen original buildings restored to tell its story through 1890.
Medora
Medora is the gateway to the south unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, set in the Badlands of western North Dakota. The Marquis de Mores, a French aristocrat, founded the town in 1883 and named it for his American wife, Medora von Hoffman; his Chateau de Mores hunting lodge still stands as a state historic site with the family’s original furnishings. The Maltese Cross Cabin, near the park visitor center, is the cabin Theodore Roosevelt used during his 1880s ranching years, the period that shaped his later conservation work. Each summer the Burning Hills Amphitheatre stages the Medora Musical, a Western-themed show running since 1965 in a natural bluff theater over the Badlands. The North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame keeps permanent exhibits on ranching, rodeo, and Indigenous horse culture.
Walhalla
Walhalla, founded in 1845 on the banks of the Pembina River, is among the oldest towns in North Dakota. The Kittson Trading Post, built by American Fur Company agent Norman Kittson, stands at the Walhalla State Historic Site and is often called the oldest building in the state; the nearby Gingras Trading Post, the 1840s home and store of Métis trader Antoine Blanc Gingras, holds an equal or older claim. Pembina Gorge State Recreation Area cuts the deepest canyon in North Dakota, carved by the Pembina River, with trails for hiking, biking, and ATVs. Frost Fire Mountain runs downhill skiing and snowboarding in winter and an outdoor theater season in summer.
Valley City
Valley City earns its nickname, the City of Bridges, from the eleven bridges that cross the Sheyenne River and its tributaries within the city limits. The Hi-Line Railroad Bridge, finished in 1908 and listed on the National Register, runs 3,860 feet across the valley and stands 162 feet above the water, one of the longest single-track railroad bridges in the country. The town sits at the eastern end of the 63-mile Sheyenne River Valley Scenic Byway, and Valley City State University, founded in 1890, keeps the local calendar busy with Vikings athletics and the annual Hi-Liner Days festival.
Jud
Jud holds fewer than 100 residents in LaMoure County and is named for Judson LaMoure, an early state legislator. Since the early 2000s, residents and visiting artists have painted murals across nearly every building in town, including the post office, the grain elevator, the fire hall, and several houses, turning the place into a walkable open-air gallery of prairie wildlife, rural scenes, and abstract patterns. The annual Jud Art Festival each summer brings in regional artists and live music. Most travelers come for the murals and the sight of an entire town organized around one creative project.
Bottineau
Bottineau sits a little over ten miles south of the Canadian border as the gateway to the Turtle Mountains. Its mascot, the 30-foot fiberglass Tommy the Turtle, went up in 1978 riding a 34-foot snowmobile and is billed as the world’s tallest turtle statue. Pride Dairy on Main Street is the last small-town creamery still operating in North Dakota, known for its Juneberry ice cream. Lake Metigoshe State Park, about fifteen miles north, offers boating, kayaking, fishing, and winter ice fishing. Bottineau Winter Park, the largest ski area in the state, runs ten runs across 200 vertical feet plus a tubing hill, and Dakota College at Bottineau, established in 1906, anchors the campus side of town.
Where The Frontier Still Shows
What these ten towns share is how much of the frontier they kept. The Missouri River and Lake Sakakawea shaped Garrison. The Sheyenne River Valley runs through Fort Ransom, Lisbon, and Valley City. The Pembina Gorge holds Walhalla on the Canadian border, the Badlands hold Medora, and the Turtle Mountains rise behind Bottineau. Each one still keeps its 19th-century buildings and the kind of small-town institutions that have closed almost everywhere else.
Why North Dakota?
District Game Warden Noah Raitz
I admit that when I was first thinking about getting into conservation enforcement, I was not thinking about moving to North Dakota. Not because I didn’t like the state or had a reason not to move here. It was the opposite. I lacked the knowledge of what North Dakota had to offer. I was also in high school, so I had no idea what my plan was other than going to college.
I was just talking about this with another warden and the recruitment of candidates for our game warden positions. Sure, we hire wardens born and raised in North Dakota, but that’s not a requirement for the job. As proof of that, I grew up 30 minutes from the North Dakota border but didn’t start to think of it as an option until college.
I attended the University of North Dakota and one summer I worked for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department as a fisheries seasonal in Devils Lake. I enjoyed the work, but it also showed me the fishing opportunities the state offered that I had never explored before.
I also helped with sharp-tailed grouse surveys in college, which showed me the upland hunting opportunities that, again, I had never explored.
I grew up hunting waterfowl, but not in North Dakota until college, when I was introduced to field hunting. As you can guess, this showed me the prized waterfowl hunting so many people are passionate about in North Dakota.
I say all that because North Dakota’s habitat and natural resources are worth appreciating. It might not be flashy mountains or cabin-packed lakes, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have a lot to offer. We have the prairie, badlands, the Missouri River system, and many other unique landscapes throughout the state.
What do those have in common? They are made up of large areas of undeveloped landscapes for anyone to enjoy. Or in my case, to work in. That’s my office, the habitat for our fisheries and wildlife resources. I may not have a fast-food restaurant or big shopping mall down the road, but I do have various hunting and fishing opportunities within 5 minutes of my house.
I was asked recently what the favorite part of my job is, and it wasn’t very difficult to answer. It’s the interactions I get to have with the public. Getting to listen to a young angler tell me about the big fish they caught, or a new hunter showing off their first duck. It’s also the older generation telling me about hunting or fishing stories from before I was born.
To circle back to where I started, I did not expect to end up in North Dakota, but I am sure glad I did. Enforcing game and fish regulations is easy when the majority of our interactions don’t end in a citation, but instead a hunter or anglers’ story about that day’s success or defeat.
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