Surviving the Great Lakes Storm of 1913

Carolyn Sweeney lived just outside Lansing, Michigan in 1913. In early November, she heard about a major storm coming from the South. On November 9, winds had become unbearable. It was snowing outside so badly that people were dropping dead all around them. Carolyn's grandmother was driving to their home when her car became stuck on the side of the road. She later froze to death. Later that night, Carolyn's brother, Jack, became stuck outside when he went out to retrieve the dog. The dog started barking, however, when Carolyn opened the door, the kitchen erupted in snow. Snowflakes flew in at 90 miles an hour, sending Carolyn, who was wearing only a dress, to the floor unconscious. Jack dragged her upstairs, but the dog was knocked out by a flying stick. It later froze to death. Their parents had drove down the road to help their grandmother, but, they hadn't returned. When they got upstairs, the house started caving in from the wind. Their room fell into the first floor bedroom that their parents slept in. They then heard the roof collapse. They fell asleep. When they woke up, they were surrounded by debris. The house caved in over night, and they were in the remains of the bedroom. There was over 2 feet of snow blocking the outside. Carolyn had nothing but a blanket covering her. Jack started digging out the snow. His hands were frozen solid after this. After he stopped, he went upstairs to get some clothes for Carolyn, whose clothes were ruined overnight from the cold. Jack also got dressed because his clothes were ruined too. Carolyn sat, fully unclothed on the couch. She worried if her parents were still alive. It continued to snow outside, which meant Carolyn had to put her clothes on herself. As Jack was digging, their parents arrived. They said their grandmother died. Carolyn and Jack burst into tears as they sat on the couch with their parents.