The Blizzard of 1888 tested how far the human spirit could endure. By piling problems upon problems, it was unforgiving for everyone in the area. Even though the immigrants who arrived in the United States all took different paths and eventually settled in different places across the Great Plains, they ultimately encountered the same cold and unpredictable blizzard. The Rollag family, originally from Norway, came to the United States. Because her husband, Ole, was given five years of military service, the size of their farms was reduced with each generation, in order to provide a better life for their children. In Norway, the eldest son has a much easier life because he benefits from a gaard deposit, which allows him to receive the plots in the valley. Gro and Ole chose to settle in Decorah, Winneshiek County, because of the other Norwegian immigrants who had been there longer. Since their family was also known to have an agricultural background, they had no reason to refuse to go to Decorah. The factors that led them to settle were apparent reports that there were no pests, such as grasshoppers, or prairie fires and that they were filled with open land, as well as a healthy soil, rich loam and an abundance of wheat. Unfortunately, by the time they arrived, all the free land was gone, so they decided to continue their journey to Rock County, Minnesota, which they believed had land for them and a lot of potential for growth . Anna and Johann Kaufmann were from Ukraine. province of Volhynia and left for the United States with their two children, Peter and Johann. People like the Kaufmann family referred to themselves as “Schweizers,” who were Swiss-German Mennonites. They originally peacefully lived a life of religious freedom, without military service, without their own land and the right to live... middle of paper ......tormented because he had grudges with people who he worked with. Professor William Payne and Thomas Cochran Jr. felt insulted by Woodruff's interruptions while Sergeant Adolphus Greely was indifferent to the entire situation and chose not to help. Ultimately, they didn't do their job because they lacked communication; they were seen as a burden rather than a help. After the violent storms, the surviving immigrants still lived through hell. The land they were told would be free turned out to be quite the opposite, forcing them to move to the coast and near populated towns to find some sort of purpose. Had they continued to live on the Great Plains, they would have been financially unstable and technologically inefficient. Bankruptcy struck many immigrants; we wonder if they would have been better off staying where they were.