With summer and its blazing hot 100-degree days upon us, perhaps this is a good time to tell the story of a blizzard that happened near here once upon a time.

The year was 1886 and I am happy to report that I did not witness this weather event first-hand! What I know about it are accounts I have read in books, newspapers and journals.

I mention the blizzard of 1886 in some of my classes at Northwestern Oklahoma State University every year. It had a huge impact upon life – human, animal and plant – on the Great Plains.

As a student, I learned about this weather phenomenon from teachers who were...