The following appeared in the Rock County Herald on July 18, 1924:
ROCK COUNTY AS IT WAS FIFTY YEARS AGO
The ill-fated year 1873 began with the most violent storm in the history of the state from the time of the first settlement to the present date. For three days beginning January 7th, the blizzard raged, extending over the whole northwest. Seventy human lives were lost in the storm in Minnesota, but by a miraculous turn of fate, none of these was in Rock county. It was the only county in the vicinity that escaped without loss of life.
Several Martin township farmers were caught in the storm while on a trip for wood on Rock river and had narrow escapes from meeting death in the storm.
One such party was composed of Ole O. Rue, Sr., Ole O. Rue, Jr., Nels Anderson, and John Goldberg. Just as they reached the edge of the timber, the storm broke. The men got their cattle within the grove and there the unfortunate men were obliged to pass the night.
Mr. Rue states that he had all he could do to keep the other members of the party on the move. They begged to be permitted to sit down and rest, which of course would have been fatal.
About daylight, Anderson and Goldberg went out of the grove to seek a place of shelter, but they could find none and returned with badly frozen faces.
At noon the weather cleared a little — enough to permit the stormbound men to see the sun and get their bearings, then they set out for the west in an effort to reach their home.
Ole O. Rue, Jr. led one yoke of oxen, and the other members of the party clung to the tails of the oxen and kept close together. In that manner they safely reached the home of Henry Martin where they secured shelter for the night.
During the night Mr. Goldberg, who was more badly frozen than the others, was in great agony, and believing himself to be dying, he bade his comrades goodbye. He subsequently recovered. All the members of the party reached home after spending the night at Mr. Martin’s.
Donations to the Rock County Historical Society can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, P.O. Box 741, Luverne, MN 56156.
Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.