Duck hunters' paradise turns into "weather bomb"

By Caroline Rosacker

The Armistice Day Blizzard took place in the Midwest region of the United States on Nov. 11 and 12 in 1940. The unexpected, fierce, early-season "panhandle hook" winter storm cut a thousand-mile-wide swath through the middle of the country from Kansas to Michigan. In its wake the storm dropped more than two feet of snow, burying vehicles and roadways beneath 20-foot drifts. 

Armistice Day Blizzard of 1940

Abbey Harkrader, Osborne Naturalist with Clayton County Conservation, recently presented Armistice Day Blizzard of 1940 on Nov. 12. She began, "About ten years ago I was made aware of the story and started to investigate some historical information about how the storm, that claimed many lives, affected us locally. I utilized newspaper archives to try and piece together what took place that day."

Harkrader proceeded to share what she discovered. She said, "The event happened 80 years ago. It was a beautiful day. Many people were outside getting things done before winter. The weather was unseasonably warm and many wore short sleeves. The weather was gorgeous – until things started to change."

Duck hunters' paradise

The warm weather was enticing, and many students played hookie to hunt with their fathers. "It looked like the perfect day to duck hunt," she noted, "Some described it as a duck hunters' paradise – a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Ducks were everywhere, funneling down the Mississippi River in a migration push — a deluge of ducks."

Hunters gathered their gear and headed out on the river and marshes giving very little thought about upcoming weather conditions. "It was the unusual weather that was pushing the ducks to migrate simultaneously. It should have been a red flag but the excitement of all those ducks caused hunter fever. They didn't notice the changes and ended up hunting a little too long that day," she commented. 

Blizzard statistics

Daytime temperatures began in the mid 50's. A strong cold front moved through the region during the late morning and early afternoon, causing blustery conditions and plummeting temperatures that fell into the single digits by the following morning. At that time a rapid, deep, low-pressure produced the lowest pressure reading ever recorded at Charles City (28.92 inches); La Crosse, Wis. (28.72 inches), and Duluth, Minn. (28.66 inches). The system moved northeast from Kansas City, northeast through the Upper Mississippi River Valley and into the Upper Great Lakes. 

Rainfall quickly turned to sleet and eventually to driving snow accompanied by 30-50 mph winds and 70-80 mph gusts causing considerable blowing and drifting, trapping many unsuspecting motorists. Heavy snow fell across the Dakotas, Minnesota, Iowa, and Northwest Wisconsin. The greatest snow accumulation was 26.6 inches in Collegeville, Minn.

The Armistice Day Blizzard claimed 154 lives, although no lives were lost in Clayton County. The number of livestock and wildlife that perished was astronomical. 

The perfect storm

Harkrader explained, "The river bluffs made it more difficult to see the storm clouds. City folks also didn't fully understand the river and the environment around them. The ones who heeded the warning signs were lucky. The hunters had to find their way to shore, but many had to stay the night." 

She went on to say, "Most boats had only a set of oars or engines that had very little horsepower, making it almost impossible to cross. The water was also unusually high that year. Some tried to rescue stranded hunters without success. Those marooned tried to stay warm and build a shelter hoping to survive the night. Trying to start a fire would have been almost impossible."

Local party trapped

A party of local hunters comprised of Elmer Moser, Jesse Moser, Mick Abel, L.W. Abel and Cornelius Tuecke started an ill-fated hunting trip from the Abel cottage that day at noon. The wind and cold caught the entire group off guard.
The following account was printed in the Nov. 14, 1940 issue of The Guttenberg Press. Efforts to light wet wood by using gasoline from the boat were unavailing, and Mick Abel made a successful attempt to reach shore alone in a row boat. He was followed by Jess and Elmer Moser who reached shore expecting Abel and Tuecke to follow in the motor boat. 

When the boat failed to start the two members of the party were forced to wait until Jess Moser made another trip alone to the island and picked them up in a row boat, making a safe return to shore. 

"A 2004 article in the Cedar Rapids Gazette interview with Tuecke mentioned there was another member of their hunting party whose name escaped him but may have been 'that Brown boy,' and that the Moser brothers came later when Mick Abel went for help. Either way the Moser boys were heroes that day and rescued them," she added. 

Another account, according to Harkrader, believes that the other hunter may have been Herman Ihm who was known to have been hunting that day.

National Weather Service makes improvements

Unless you knew how to read a barometer it would have been easy to get caught off guard. She mentioned, "Lefty Stiener reported he went hunting at Sny Magill with his father, who was a pilot, and watched his barometer religiously. His dad sent him back to the house for his coat, which he shoved behind the car seat to hide. When the weather turned they quickly packed up their gear and headed back. They barely made it out of the valley, as the hill was not yet paved and covered in ice  and snow.”

The eye of the unusual weather pattern or “weather bomb” was located directly over Guttenberg and McGregor. Harkrader noted, “The National Weather Service took a beating because of the many lives that were lost. At the time the nearest weather station was in Chicago, so they were not aware of our conditions. Because of that storm, the following year in November there would be someone in every town that could help spread the word about impending weather conditions.”

She concluded, “Although the system is improved, it is not perfect as the Derecho was not predicted. As we go out in the weather we think we are safe. The wildlife is struggling to survive under current winter weather conditions. Even with all our technology we can be caught completely unaware. The men and women who lost their lives should remind us to always be prepared when we go out in nature.” 

Osborne Park and Nature Center is located five miles south of Elkader on Highway 13. For upcoming programming and educational opportunities call 563-245-1516, or online at claytoncountyconservation.org or find them on Facebook.