The Blizzard of 1988

Museum Staff "The Blizzard of 1988." In The Midst Of, Cokato Historical Society (December, 2021) vol. 41 no. 3.

The 1988 Cokato Blizzard. Photograph is from the Cokato Enterprise.

On Tuesday, January 12, 1988, the cities of Dassel and Cokato were hit by a blizzard that caused icy roads and whiteouts. According to reporter Karen Humphrey of the Cokato Enterprise, “one windblown stretch of Highway 12 caused 20 vehicles, including two semi-trucks, to land in the ditch...”  News of the blizzard received national attention via CBS radio.

Chuck Muenzer of Dassel Bake Shop was driving his van east of Cokato at the time of the blizzard. He described the experience to Enterprise reporters as “driving in a barrel of flour...I couldn’t see 10 feet in front of me.” The Cokato Enterprise also interviewed Cokato Ambulance director Jim Erickson. He recalled that the ambulance responded to 20 calls from 1 a.m. to 2 p.m. during the blizzard. Only one person had an injury serious enough to be transported to a hospital.
 
Where were you during the blizzard of 1988?