1900 Galveston Hurricane, 8/8: Random Reflections to Wrap Up
By October 23, 2008
Since I?m writing and you?re reading this for free, I figure I can throw in some random stuff at the end just because.
By October 23, 2008
Since I?m writing and you?re reading this for free, I figure I can throw in some random stuff at the end just because.
By October 23, 2008
Last weekend I joined Mormons and neighbors in Sabine Pass, Texas, removing debris. I did the same after Rita three years ago but back then a Mormon family lived there. Not anymore, and I?d be surprised if one moved in any time soon. On the other hand, reconstruction brought new members to the local ward?as it seemingly brought the Coquats to Galveston in 1900. Drawing clean lines between the storm and future events or circumstances is difficult, but I think we can reasonably identify some consequences of the 1900 Galveston storm, particularly its influence on where people live, that are still with us.
By October 22, 2008
Earlier I wrote about Mormons who found evidence of God?s mercy or of His one true church in the 1900 Galveston Hurricane. A parallel thread in those documents was that the Lord was also vengeful, or at least millenarian.
By October 22, 2008
Missionaries and other church members detected God?s will in the 1900 Galveston Hurricane?s destruction and in the Elders? preservation therefrom.
By October 21, 2008
In many senses, the event that is a ?storm? lasts far longer than the storm itself. Thus, hurricane Ike (2008) found some houses in my home ward with roofs still tarped from Rita (2005). Likewise, psychological and social changes can persist far longer than floodwaters. 1900 was no different.
By October 21, 2008
Incredibly, the Juvenile Instructor is approaching it’s 1st year anniversary. We went live on October 26, 2007. We hope to have a little historical write up nearer that time about how all this got going. In the mean time, I wanted to put up some posts you might have missed since our beginning. There are too many good ones to put them all up, but here’s a sampling from our first months:
By October 21, 2008
Preparation, information gathering, and relief efforts figure prominently in present-day discussions of Mormons and natural disasters. Just last conference President Eyring spoke of those who praise the church for ?know[ing] how to organize to get things done? but don?t always recognize that ?the miracle lies not in organization alone, but in the people?s hearts? [1]. Elders who experienced some part of the 1900 Galveston Hurricane recorded evidence of concerned hearts; their dairies also provide glimpses of a nascent organization.
By October 20, 2008
Like many Elders in the American South, and like many of the people they visited, Elder Brooks and companion, Elder Decker, were both suffering from malaria in September 1900. Although they had some success in their counties near the Louisiana border, flooding and disease took a heavy toll on their enthusiasm and their bodies. In fact, Elder Decker requested release from the mission on September 03.
By October 20, 2008
Hurricanes have been on my mind of late?and more literally in my yard and in a great many houses. Instead of writing about recent storms, however, I?d like to discuss the 1900 Galveston Hurricane that nearly obliterated the city of Galveston, Texas, before smashing its way into the continental interior. Estimates vary, but the modern consensus centers around eight-thousand dead. Four Mormon missionaries and one member (presumably) were in Galveston that night and a hand-full of Saints and other missionaries?probably less than a hundred?encountered the storm before it disintegrated. Over the next few days I will examine elements of the Mormon experience of, response to, and interpretation of the storm. This page will function as a homepage of sorts, with links added as the posts become available.
By October 17, 2008
See part I here.
On the last page of the May 1834 issue of Evening and the Morning Star, the Church included the minutes of a meeting held on May 3, 1834. In a straightforward way, and lacking any fanfare, it included the following:
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