The True Story Behind ‘Little House on the Prairie’s Blizzard Episode

The Big Picture

• Little House on the Prairie’s “Blizzard” episode takes a somber turn, highlighting the harshness of winter and the resilience of the Ingalls family.
• The episode is based on the real-life Schoolhouse Blizzard of 1888, which claimed many lives and caused significant damage.
• Despite the tragic ending, the episode ultimately delivers a powerful message about the true meaning of Christmas and the enduring hope it represents.

Not every Christmas episode of television has a happy ending, and some have it rougher than others. Neo-Westerns like Yellowstone love to meditate on the harshness of our world, but it wasn’t the first show in the genre to ever mess around with such themes. Even Little House on the Prairie, a show known for its relatively upbeat attitude and moralistic view of the world, wasn’t immune to diving deep into the harder topics of life, reminding us that we live in a complicated and broken world. Based on the books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House‘s third season aired a Christmas episode unlike the rest of the show’s holiday exploits. This one, titled “Blizzard,” was based on a real-life storm that claimed the lives of many more than portrayed on TV.

What Happens in ‘Little House on the Prairie’s “Blizzard?”

The Season 3 episode “Blizzard” begins like any regular Little House on the Prairie episode. The children are in school, Charles (Michael Landon) is out working, and Caroline (Karen Grassle) is busy helping the women of Walnut Grove decorate. But unlike any other episode, it’s Christmas Eve, which makes it a bit confusing as to why the kids are all in school, but we’ll let it slide. Mrs. Beadle (Charlotte Stewart), the schoolteacher, decides to let the class out early after they finish up their work, and as the children all walk home, they soon get caught in a massive storm that threatens to freeze them to death, keeping them from seeing even a few feet in front of them.

In response, Dr. Baker (Kevin Hagen) turns the church/schoolhouse into a makeshift hospital for the kids found on the road with frostbite, and he enlists the women to help him tend to them. Meanwhile, Charles, Isaiah Edwards (Victor French), Nels Oleson (Richard Bull), and the other able-bodied people around town brave the harsh winter to find the lost children of Walnut Grove. Thankfully, just about everyone is found, and the heartfelt reunion between Charles and his three daughters huddling around a fire they’d made is naturally how we hoped this episode of Little House would end. Unfortunately, there’s more.

One of the men in town who went out without thinking straight was Ted McGinnis (John Carter), who didn’t realize that his own son Henry (Johnny Timko) was among the first to be found. Leaving all others behind, Ted searches in vain for his son, who is safe with his mother in the church, and because he didn’t wear a heavy enough coat, he freezes to death. Charles and his girls pass by Mr. McGinnis’ frozen body on their way back but are unable to do anything for him. While everyone celebrates the return of their children, the McGinnis widow and her son stand in silence. Breaking the celebration, Charles takes to the pulpit and reads the Nativity story from the Gospel of Luke, reminding everyone what Christmas is truly about.

There Were Two Blizzards in 1888, Both of Which Inspired the One Seen in ‘Little House’

Throughout Laura Ingalls Wilder’s semi-biographical accounts, she reveals many instances of her family braving harsh winters. In fact, the book The Long Winter is all about that exact idea, and in Wilder’s retelling of her own life story, the blizzard lasts so long that the Ingalls family doesn’t celebrate their Christmas until May. So, it’s no wonder that the TV show would eventually decide to tackle the same subject. Little House had a habit of taking liberally from Wilder’s books, with plotlines such as the death of Charles and Caroline’s first and only son, or even Mary’s (Melissa Sue Anderson) eventual blindness. But “Blizzard” isn’t based directly on something that happened in the original books, but rather a historical event.

In 1888, there were two major blizzards that swept across the United States. The first was the “Schoolhouse Blizzard,” sometimes referred to as “The Children’s Blizzard,” which occurred throughout the Great Plains region from January 12th through the 13th of that year. The second was the “Great Blizzard of 1888,” which largely stuck on the East Coast from March 11th until the 14th. Both winter storms were incredibly deadly, with over 600 casualties between them. Of course, although “Blizzard” takes place on Christmas Eve, Little House was likely referencing one or both of these events, with a particular emphasis on the former.

According to the National Weather Service, the Children’s Blizzard was called such because “so many children died trying to go home from school, [and it] was one of the deadliest winter storms in the upper Midwest.” Naturally, Walnut Grove is a real town in Minnesota (and the main location of Little House), which means that between the two blizzards of ’88, this is likely the one reference here. Thankfully, no children actually die in this Little House episode (by some heavenly Christmas miracle, of course), but there’s still plenty of damage. Like the actual Schoolhouse Blizzard, the one seen in this episode eventually knocks out communication, drops the temperatures to below zero, and isolates the town from its surrounding resources. The NWS reported that up to eight days after the initial storm, reports were still coming in of casualties, injuries, and other means of suffering as a result of the horrible blizzard.

Exploring the Harshness of Winter in “Blizzard” Shows the Resilience of the Ingalls Family on ‘Little House on the Prairie’

Of course, shooting a snowstorm like that in Southern California seems impossible, but Michael Landon, director William F. Claxton, and the Little House crew pulled it off anyhow. “The snowstorm scenes were pretty amazing,” Mrs. Beadle actress Charlotte Stewart wrote in 2019 for LittleHouseonthePrairie.com. “Mike [Landon] shot them in a huge water tank set at Paramount as they were blowing in a mix of man-made snow and some other artificial white stuff (insulation, I think).” The nature of these scenes (which are truly remarkable, and look loads better than some fake snow seen in even the 21st century) only highlights the idea that winter can be a harrowing time and was especially so back in the time of Little House.

What’s significant about Little House on the Prairie‘s decision to make their Christmas episode into an ecological horror is that these near-death experiences don’t break our characters, even when they easily should. Charles continues to brave the weather with no signs of slowing down. He and Mr. Edwards search for and rescue their own children no matter what is thrown at them. Likewise, Caroline, long before she knows her family is safe, proves herself a pillar in the Walnut Grove community and helps many, including the near-hysterical Grace Edwards (Bonnie Bartlett), to fight on and focus on the task at hand.

Possibly the most impressive characters are the Ingalls girls. Laura (Melissa Gilbert) and her older sister Mary not only press on against impossible odds, but are resourceful enough to find shelter, start a fire, and save their younger sister Carrie (Lindsay and Sidney Greenbush) from freezing to death while shivering themselves. These girls sure know how to persevere, and it’s no wonder that their parents inspire others to do the same. It’s hard to imagine nearly dying in a snowstorm like this given the modern comforts we all enjoy, but that’s exactly why stories like “Blizzard” are so important. They help us to remember that the world we live in is not as tame as we might think.

Most ‘Little House’ Christmas Episodes Are Filled With Joy, but This One Ends on a Somber (but Hopeful) NoteOver the course of nine seasons and four made-for-TV movies, Little House on the Prairie has produced more than one Christmas extravaganza. “Christmas At Plum Creek” aired on Christmas Day 1974 during the show’s first season and Season 2 featured a twist on Charles Dickens‘s A Christmas Carol titled “Ebenezer Sprague,” with “Blizzard” being the last annual Christmas special in the early seasons. There wouldn’t be another one until Season 8’s “A Christmas They Never Forgot,” which was followed up by the very last Little House project ever produced, the made-for-TV feature Little House: Bless All the Dear Children, which aired on December 17, 1984.

The vast gap between Christmas-themed episodes is likely due to the somber note “Blizzard” ends on. Sure, there’s an immediate celebration when the Edwards family is reunited, and rightfully so, but in keeping with the biblical mandate to “mourn with those who mourn,” Charles decides now is not the time as the McGinnis family will never be reunited in this life. Other Christmas episodes highlight the joy of the season, childhood innocence, or re-tell the second most famous holiday tale to bring about a redemption arc, but “Blizzard” tells a harsh story that doesn’t have the happiest of endings, even on Christmas, which sets it apart.

However, in true Little House form (both taking cues from the series and the books themselves), Charles’ final moments on the pulpit reading God’s word is what unites the town of Walnut Grove, making the episode’s somber ending a bit more meditative. Some are happy, others are sad, and everyone is exhausted, but the truth of what Christmas is about remains a powerful message, and one he feels compelled to share at such a daring time. Even in the storm, there is hope, and Little House on the Prairie often reminds us that tragedies come and go, but true joy can last forever.

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