The Angola Horror and John D. Rockefeller's Near Brush With Death

"What are the tracks that changed your life?"

Personal Historian

I grew up in the small town of Angola, New York (population 2,127) without ever hearing about "The Angola Horror" — regarded as one of the worst American railroad disasters of the 1800s. She notes that no markers commemorated the victims near the crash site for over 150 years, and she only learned of her hometown's tragic history after Charity Vogel's book on the subject came out in 2007. She suspects this may be because a Buffalo newspaper at the time had linked the town's name permanently to the disaster. A historical marker was finally installed at the site about a decade before she wrote this piece.

According to an account from History.net, the crash occurred on December 17, 1867, in the early afternoon. A Buffalo-bound express train derailed while crossing a high bridge and plunged roughly 30 feet into a gorge below. The last two cars caught fire, and the disaster ultimately killed dozens and severely injured at least 100 more.

Pihl writes that although the tragedy was devastating, it did lead to improved railroad safety standards afterward.

She then connects the story to a remarkable coincidence involving John D. Rockefeller, the American oil magnate. On the day of the crash, Rockefeller had planned to catch the same Buffalo-bound train out of Cleveland to reach New York City, but he arrived at Union Station just minutes too late and missed it — a delay that ended up saving his life, since his intended seat was in the rear car, which was destroyed in the fire.

Pihl reflects that Rockefeller didn't experience survivor's guilt over the incident; instead, he came to see it as confirmation that he had a purpose to fulfill, reportedly viewing it as an act of divine providence. He went on to found Standard Oil and later donated enormous sums to charitable causes.

She uses the story to explore the broader idea that our lives are shaped by a mix of fate and the choices we make and argues that reflecting on and organizing our own life stories — sometimes called "life review" — can help people find meaning and perspective. She notes that sharing our stories can also be therapeutic and can help family members understand one another better.

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Consider your life’s “branching moments: what decision have you made that changed the course of your life — a school, a partner, a career? It invites the recipient to a free consultation where Pihl, as a personal historian, would help them explore and document the key moments and questions that define their life goals, closing with the reminder: "it's never too early to start."

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