Children of the Storm The True Story of The Pleasant Hill School Bus Tragedy

The story of twenty schoolchildren on the southeastern plains of Colorado, fighting for lives that had just begun... Imagine being one of twenty children, ages seven to fourteen, stranded in a makeshift school bus for thirty-three hours, during the worst blizzard to hit Colorado in over fifty years. The gripping narrative of CHILDREN OF THE STORM leads you through this haunting experience. The morning of March 26, 1931, began with sixty-degree weather and students excitedly running to board Carl Miller's bus for their routine ride to the Pleasant Hill School. By the time they arrived at the pair of forlorn one-room schoolhouses, it was dark, windy, and cold— obvious signs of a spring snowstorm. Soon after, following the teachers' orders to drive the children to a nearby home for safety, Miller lost his sense of direction in the ensuing whiteout and lodged the bus in a ditch. When rescuers found the survivors a day and a half later, the blizzard had taken its deadly toll.

Ariana Harner edited the Colorado Historical Society (now History Colorado) newsletter from 1997 through 2000. Children of the Storm is her first book. In 2006 she completed a Master of Arts in Conflict Resolution from the Conflict Resolution Institute at the University of Denver and now works in Human Resources. Clark Secrest is a former newspaper reporter, editor, and columnist. He currently edits and writes for Colorado Heritage.

Foreword Notes to the Reader Preface 1. The children of Pleasant Hill 2. Lost 3. The First Day 4. Waiting 5. Blankets and Fried Potatoes 6. Ship of Mercy 7. Daddy is Coming 8. And a hero is created 9. Going home 10. Remnants of a disaster 11. Political pawn from the plains 12. Later Endnotes Bibliography