Stormy Petrel and the Blizzard of 1871: part 1


FROM COOL GREEN ENGLAND TO HOT DRY KANSAS Historical accounts seem to fail in giving the heroine of this tale her rightful name, but one account of her frigid Kansas adventures dubs her as 'Stormy Petrel.' And in truth, the lady did liken to that seemingly delicate bird that lives entirely at sea, except for brief nesting seasons.

Perhaps our lady who travel to the plains of Kansas earned her natural title in this way: Seamen, in various parts of the world, believe that when petrels appear a storm is certain to be soon upon them. And so it was with our Stormy, for she too had made a long sea voyage, westward from where she had been born in England.

Stormy, as we shall call her, was the daughter of a wealthy manufacturer. She had grown up with all of the material advantages that money could bring. Surely, young Stormy's life had been a most happy situation, that is until her father began tipping more than tea until, at last, the fortune of this rather large family had floundered.

Stormy, possibly to relieve the strain of additional mouths to feed, decided to strike out on her own with two of her brothers. The three were resolved to find their own fortune elsewhere in the wide world. At the time, the place that appeared to be the most advantageous for seeking their fortune was America, far across the ocean.

Deciding from all they had heard of a place 'Out West' called Kansas, it sounded like exactly the local they were seeking. So it was off, in the spring of 1871, to the wide-open plains for the three English travelers.

Stormy and her brothers had also decided that farming would be their mode of earning their fortune. After all, they assured each other, farming the rich Kansas soil would take a minimum of effort on their part. All, they believed, they would need to do was to scratch the ground and then drop in the seeds. The wonderful climate and stable weather would do the rest while they sat back and waited for the richly rewarding results.

Once they arrived in Kansas, about one hundred miles within the state, they staked out three claims, one for each. They built a "rude little house" out on the plains and called it home. And now the fun began.

Stormy, having been raised in privileged English society possessed about as much knowledge of housekeeping as a feather duster, back in merry old England, without a maid to administer it. In other words, she didn't have a clue, or at best not much of one. As to the knowledge of farming and animal tending, her brothers possessed as little savvy as Stormy did about housekeeping.

The copyright of the article Stormy Petrel and the Blizzard of 1871: part 1 in The Great Plains is owned by Mary Trotter Kion. Permission to republish Stormy Petrel and the Blizzard of 1871: part 1 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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