“Chance is always a silent partner in disaster. Bad luck, bad timing, the wrong choice at a crucial moment, and the door is inexorably shut and barred.”

This quote showcases David Laskin’s poetic style as he describes the extraordinary bad fortune that led to the tragedy of the Children’s Blizzard. He points out that while preparation and prediction can help with survival in a disaster, no one can predict every aspect of an event—sometimes there’s nothing that can be done to save an unlucky individual.

“In the imagination and identity of the region, the storm is as sharply etched as ever: This is a place where blizzards kill children on their way home from school.”

This quote shows the indelible impression left on the character of the Great Plains states, as well as the nation, by the Children’s Blizzard. The sheer tragedy of the loss of the lives of children marked a watershed moment in the history of European expansion into the prairie, laying bare the extreme danger of the endeavor.

“They liked what they saw, especially the great empty prairies of Dakota. It was July and the unbroken grass looked rich and beautiful and full of promise.”

This quote, referring to the Schweizer scouts from Ukraine inspecting the prairie, shows that their hopes for settlement only increased after doing their due diligence. More cautious than most other immigrants, the Schweizer community nonetheless suffered from the extreme winter weather, unable to comprehend the danger that faced them.