Noise from front wheel S10 4x4

Yesterday there was snow on the ground. I went out in the S-10 4x4 (1995 Blazer if it makes a difference) using 4-HI (electronic switch on the dash). When I came home, I backed into the driveway and disengaged the 4WD.

This morning the pavement was dry. Everything seemed normal when I started out (didn't use reverse at all, I don't know if that's relevant) but on the highway (going 70 MPH) I started to notice a sound coming from the right front wheel, like grinding gears. It started quiet but got pretty loud.

As I slowed down, the pitch got lower but the sound got even louder! When I got down to 25 MPH it suddenly went away.

I'm seeking opinions as to what happened and what I should look at to see if anything is damaged.

-- spuddemon -at- thundermaker.net The above may not (yet) represent the opinions of my employer.