Research examines severe winter of ‘Little House on the Prairie’ novel

Barbara Boustead was irritated. The meteorologist for the National Weather Service made her way home after spending the night in her office for yet another storm during the winter of 2009-2010. She got home and picked a book to read. "The Long Winter" by Laura Ingalls Wilder wasn't a new read by any means, but this particular reading had her thinking about the validity of Wilder's claims.

Now Boustead is working on a research project investigating the severity of the winter of 1880-1881, the winter Wilder describes in her book. She's creating a scale to help determine the severity of a winter season.

The book is a classic tale about one family's harsh winter in De Smet, S.D. Although fiction, "The Long Winter," like the rest of Wilder's "Little House" series is based on her experiences growing up on a prairie.

Boustead received a bachelor's of science in meteorology and geology and a bachelors of arts in English from Central Michigan University. Researching Wilder's account is an opportunity to combine her interests.

Boustead's research is funded through UNL's School of Natural Resources and the National Weather Service.

The winter of 1880-1881 began with an early freeze, ice and an October blizzard, records say. Eventually the trains stopped running and were unable to bring supplies to families in need. Wilder actually writes about the trains stopping in her book.

"We have measuring tools for other weather, such as hurricanes, earthquakes or tornadoes, but we currently do not have a classification system for winter seasons and their severity," Boustead said. "In addition to creating a measuring system, I'm determining what parts of ‘The Long Winter' were real."

In the novel, Wilder describes blizzards coming in waves for three days and a one-day reprieve. She says this recurs throughout the season.

However, Boustead found this to be exaggerated.

"The people of Laura Ingalls' time were in danger because of food and warmth supplies running out, but, because not many people ventured out, the death toll was surprisingly small," Boustead said. "So the blizzards and dangers she describes are definitely real, but sometimes she embellishes in the blizzard's severity."

Boustead is also interested in exploring how such a harsh winter would affect society today.

"The death toll was so low because, at the time, people were able to prepare for the winter," Boustead said. "Many times when people died from blizzards it was because it caught them unprepared."

Today, people probably aren't very prepared in terms of fuel and shelter, Boustead said. However, there is more technology and more resources if a blizzard like Wilder describes were to hit.

Boustead collected much of her information from historical documents and personal accounts from people who lived during Wilder's time.

And she is impressed with how Wilder described the weather with such accuracy and detail.

"Wilder really was talented in the way she described weather," Boustead said. "She described weather well in all her books, including the book ‘These Happy Golden Years,' when she describes a tornado. Her descriptions have been very helpful to me."

Boustead would also like to create curriculum for elementary-age students to connect "The Long Winter" with science in the classroom.

"One of the best things about this research is it can be applied in many areas in the classroom, such as history, geography, literature and math," said Martha Shulski, director of the School of Natural Resources and one of Boustead's advisers, along with Ken Hubbard, a professor in the school.

They both are excited Boustead has been able to see the project progress from an idea to research that can actually be applied to real-life tools.

"In addition to looking at the Laura Ingalls account, the fact that this research might create a measuring system for winters today makes this research exciting," Shulski said. "Boustead is figuring out ways to make the information she finds useful to the public."

Boustead is hopeful that researching Wilder's story will help others and not just satisfy her curiosity.