Southeast Minnesota has experienced several powerful natural disasters. In 1890, a driving straight-line wind on Lake Pepin overturned the Sea Wing, killing ninety-eight people within minutes in the worst marine tragedy in Minnesota history. In 1940, a raging blizzard trapped duck hunters on islands in the Mississippi River and stranded motorists across the region, leaving dozens injured or dead. Then, in 1965, floodwaters of the Mississippi River and its vast network of tributaries kept area residents in fear for two months, shattering records for high-water marks and destroying buildings and farmlands before receding and leaving behind damage that took years to rebuild. Local author Steve Gardiner examines these forces of nature and their ramifications on the people of Southeast Minnesota.
Dr. Steve Gardiner was the 2008 Montana Teacher of the Year and retired after teaching high school English and journalism for thirty-eight years. He has published numerous articles about education and outdoor adventures and is the author of seven previous books, including Mountain Dreams: The Drive to Explore, Experience, and Expand. He and his wife, Peggy, live in Lake City, Minnesota.