When we think of heroes of the Old West, we often picture someone on horseback, wearing a badge, or standing tall with a rifle in hand.
But sometimes a hero wears a long skirt, climbs through a window in the middle of a hurricane, and reaches into raging floodwater to save strangers.
The Great Storm of 1900
For those who have never been to Galveston, Texas, (I haven’t!) it’s located on a long, skinny-looking island on the southernmost edge of Texas with Galveston Bay on one side and the Gulf of America on the other. It’s pretty and scenic, and lots of cruise ships sail from there. But the island is notoriously only a few feet above sea level, which makes it very prone to disasters.
Especially more so in 1900.
The Hurricane
On September 8, 1900, a devastating hurricane struck Galveston. Known today as the Great Storm of 1900, it remains one of the deadliest natural disasters in American history. Thousands perished as wind and water swept across the island, destroying homes, businesses, churches, and families in a matter of hours. The Galveston Historical Foundation notes that at least 6,000 people died, many by drowning or beneath collapsing debris. But because records were incomplete and entire families vanished, other sources estimate the death toll was even higher at 8,000 or even 12,000. Yikes!
At the time, Galveston was a thriving island city—wealthy, busy, and important as a port. When the hurricane came ashore, storm tides of roughly 8 to 15 feet swept across the island. NOAA describes winds over 130 mph and a 15-foot storm surge. Another yikes!
But as often happens, in the aftermath of unspeakable tragedy, stories of courage rise up like cream from fresh milk.
The Schoolteacher
One story remains today, 126 years later. Some say the story is legend. Others claim it’s real. But for the story to linger so long, with so many details to make it believable, I’d like to think this heroine deserves her place in the history books.
The story goes that a young schoolteacher took shelter inside the Hutchings, Sealy & Company Bank building on the Strand. The building was built in the 1890s and was one of the structures that survived the 1900 storm. It’s still in existence today.
As the storm surge rose—some accounts say as high as seventeen feet—the schoolteacher found herself above a city enveloped in darkness. I’d love to know how she got there, or if she was alone, but from the third floor, she climbed through a window and balanced on a narrow ledge. (You can see the ledges in the picture.) Then, instead of staying safely inside, she reached down toward the raging waters and pulled people from the water, one by one, and dragged them into the building.
Can you imagine the terror she might have felt? The roar of wind, the crash of debris, the screams of those being swept past? The darkness. The rain. The knowledge that one wrong move could send her into the flood, too?
Or maybe she didn’t feel any terror at all. Maybe she was so driven to help that her heroics took over and banished all fear from her head.
Some stories say she cared for survivors for several days afterward before dying of fever. Others say her name was lost to history, though later tellings call her Sara. Or Sarah. Because her identity is uncertain, we may never know whether her story is true.
I find that part frustrating. Of all the people she helped, and for several days after, no one thought to ask her name? Maybe at the time, names weren’t important, but “Sarah” does seem consistent, even though her last name has been lost forever. And how sad that her family might never have known how heroic she was. Or how many lives she’d saved. Maybe her family all perished, and that makes the whole thing even more sad.
But I guess, writing about her in this blog, and reading it, is another way we can honor her, right?
Have you heard about Sarah, the schoolteacher, and her legend?
What kind of hero would you be? Quiet and unassuming? Or would you be okay doing interviews in front of TV cameras and on social media? 🙂
If you had been in that bank building during the storm, do you think you would have had the courage to reach out and help?
Have you or someone close to you ever done anything heroic?
Have you ever been in a hurricane?
Pam has written 30 romances, most of them historical westerns, but she's proud of her contemporary sweet romances featuring the Blackstone Ranch series published by Tule Publishing, too! Stay up on the latest at www.pamcrooks.com
No, I’ve never been in a hurricane or tornado (MD outside Washington, D.C.’s S.E. border might experience more severe weather now than when we moved to CA in 1982). Out here I’ve experienced a couple earthquakes but praise the Lord none of them was really strong.
Thank you for sharing Sarah’s story! How courageous she was. I’m not sure if I’d be that brave. If I were with people who survived a natural disaster I’d probably try to discover food sources and do my best to cobble together meals; take care of small children so parents could do useful tasks; and maybe find pet cats or dogs to add to the survivor group…
Providing food and doing useful tasks are compassionate ways to help, Mary! I remember when my mother was dying, and all of us kids were beside her, knowing her time was soon, my sister-in-law made fresh coffee for us. It was such a simple thing – making coffee – but it wasn’t anything any of us even thought or wanted to do at that time.
I’ve heard of that hurricane, but not much other than the basics.
We’ve had hurricanes and tornadoes here in the Mid-Atlantic, as well as other things like blizzards, nor’easters, and mild earthquakes.
I’ve been in front of a TV camera before for interviews and for being in two national commercials, so that wouldn’t be a problem.
I’ve advocated for legislation before legislative committees, so I am always willing to help out.
Wow, Denise. I didn’t know you were so involved!! You’re always very knowedgable but interviews and legislation is a side of you I didn’t know. Good for you!
Thank you!
I have been in several hurricanes but none were catastrophic. I am not sure what I would do in Sarah’s position. It would bother to allow people to die if I could so something. My husband was a state trooper and they do heroic things all the time. I would not want to be in the limelight myself.
I admire law enforcement so much! They are indeed heroic in all things, big and small, that many of us take for granted.
I’m not comfortable being in the limelight, either, but I do organize big projects, which kinda puts me there. 🙂
I’ve never been in a hurricane. I wouldn’t have stood on a narrow ledge either. If the wind was blowing hard, I don’t see how she maintained her balance. I wouldn’t want recognition for it neither.
I agree that Sarah would have been in such a precarious position on that ledge! I have often wondered how she did it. Surely not by herself. Maybe someone tied a rope around her waist and kept her from falling that way.
Regardless, I can’t imagine the courage it would take to do what she had done.
Hey Pam! Yes, I remember reading and seeing documentaries on the Galveston Hurricane. That would have been pretty scary! I’ve not heard of the school teacher story. Thanks for sharing that. You know I live in Florida, so yes, I have made it through many hurricanes. And I pray, pray, pray. I’ve never been on tv. I have been quoted in the newspaper in our small town. It’s when power crews went up to Monck’s Corner, SC after Hurricane Hugo hit there. I saw the devastation there. Pine trees looked like broken tooth picks. The natives were amazing. My husband said they would invite them in and feed them…..and they lost much and had very little. They were French caguns. He said very friendly people. I had pictures and I shared with our newspaper,
I also went after Hurricane Andrew hit South Florida. Hurricanes give you some warning. Tonandos don’t. Very little. And either one can be loss of life and property. There are many hero’s walking around out there and doing amazing things and they do it without praise.
Thanks for your story today Pam. I love hearing these kinds of amazing people. Past and present.
You have quite a history with hurricanes, Tracy! Here in the midwest, we don’t have them, but we are plagued with tornadoes, and they can be just as devastating. I’ve never experienced one until a big bad one dropped out of the sky a couple of miles away from me. We were completely untouched by it. Crazy.
I have not been in a hurricane.
Thank goodness for that, Bridgette!
We don’t get hurricanes only because they don’t call them that here. Because they start differently they are called tropical storms.
They can have just as powerful wind and rain but don’t come every year. They usually occur during El Niño weather cycle.
Oh, I didn’t know that about tropical storms, MaryEllen! I have just equated tropical storms with hurricanes because they sound like they’d be the same thing. Interesting. You just taught me something new this morning. 🙂
This is a very interesting story. I have been in several hurricanes but never one as devastating as that one.
Well, the Galveston hurricane was one for the record books, for sure. I would hesitate to live in an area so vulnerable to them like Galveston is!
I have never been in a hurricane but I would like to think I would reach out and help those I could. It would definitely be quiet and unassuming though.
Humility is a gift, Barbara!
Very interesting, Pam. I had never heard this story about Sarah. I can only imagine the sheer terror she must’ve felt then to open that window and save drowning people is short of miraculous. Thank goodness, I’ve only ever been in the outer bands of a hurricane after it came up from the gulf. That rain came down in sheets. Although I was in the middle of an F-5 tornado and I never want to see that again. I love these historical tidbits that we run across. 🙂
Good morning, Linda! Yes, Sarah would have experienced many emotions, I would think – terror and determination among them. I think of her strength, too. She must’ve been one STRONG woman to pull someone out of rushing water again and again. I’m such a wimp, I’d never be able to do it without falling right off the ledge. Dang!
I’ve been in more hurricanes than I care to remember!! I’m a native Floridian and still live on the Space Coast, also known as Brevard County, where Cocoa Beach, Kennedy Space Center, Patrick Space Force Base, and Cape Canaveral are located. I hadn’t heard about this hurricane, though, or the story of Sarah! I would NOT want to do live interviews!!
I’ve been to Cocoa Beach, Trudy, and saw the Kennedy Space Center from a distance. Yes, you would most certainly be vulnerable for hurricanes! But what a beautiful area you live in!
Live interviews are not for me, either. LOL. At least, not without a lot of prep!
Hi, we actually experienced a hurricane in Mazatlan Mexico , it was Hurricane Tico, it was scary. I have never been to Galveston, but my 2 now grown adult children got to go for a HS band trip. The story of Sarah sounds great, what a Heroine she was. I had never hear of her,Thank you for introducing her to us. Have a great day and a great weekend.
Howdy, Alicia! I Googled Hurricane Tico, thinking it was only in Mexico (1983) – hence the Mexican sounding name – but it did a lot of damage in Louisiana, too. Sounds like it was a big one!
Glad you enjoyed Sarah’s story. I did, too.
I enjoyed your blog today Pam. In Minnesota, we don’t have hurricanes. But, we do have tornados and blizzards from time to time. Tornados are most fearsome for me. Hearing the actual roar of a tornado is frightening. It’s wonderful to read about heroic acts of rescue. I would hope I’d have a heart to respond like Sarah did.
Hi, Kathy! Nebraska isn’t far from Minnesota, and we have the same weather, although you guys get way more snow than we do! I’ll probably never experience a hurricane.
Like you, I hope I’d have the gumption to respond to a crisis like Sarah did. I think we would – adrenaline and the need to help are powerful motivators.
Thanks for stopping by, my friend.
How interesting and brave of her to do that. I doubt I would have been able to pull anyone from the raging waters, I don’t swim so I know I would have been terrified. But, then again, we never know what we are capable of until faced with something that requires us to be brave. So sad that her story only survives as a legend and not part of history. As another “Sarah” I choose to believe it is true. lol
LOL! Good thinking, Sarah!
I have been in a few typhoons which is the Pacific equivalent of a hurricane.
I would certainly try to help others in case of an emergency. We are Red Cross disaster volunteers, so do help out. I would certainly try to do what Sarah did, but from the window, not necessarily on. the ledge unless I was tied off.
Our son has done several things. He carried a hiker who had injured herself on the trail. During Helene, he was on the flooded river helping with rescue. He also spent days ferrying supplies up river to communities that could not be reached because roads and bridges had been washed out.
What a charitable life you and your family have led, Pat!
Wow. That’s some story, Pam. Love to know more about it and who this Sarah really was. I don’t know whether I’d have the courage to do what she did or not. I don’t think anyone knows how they’ll behave in a crisis like this one. I’d like to think I’d do the same thing, but who knows. It would so depend on the circumstances. I’ve never been in a hurricane and don’t expect to be. We don’t have them in Utah. We don’t have tornadoes either, for which I give thanks. I enjoyed reading about Sarah and can’t help wondering how you learned of her. Great character for a story. Will we read about someone like Sarah in one of your future books? And speaking of that, when will you be having another book out?
Hi, Charlene! At this point, I don’t think Sarah will be in a book of mine, but boy, wouldn’t she be a strong character? I’ll keep her in mind!
My next book will be out in July as part of the PETTICOATS & PATRIOTS series. A different book for me. Post-war Korea, but still a western. Very fun to write!
Stay tuned!