Jacob Dieter is photographed in his Civil War uniform. He enlisted in 1862 and served in company F of the Ninth Minnesota Regiment. His family accompanied him to Fort Ridgely, Minnesota and returned home when his unit was sent to another location. Jacob Dieter was reported missing after the battle of Guntown. He had been captured by the Confederate forces along with twenty-six other Olmsted County men. The group was transferred to Andersonville Prison. On June 22, 1864, he wrote his last letter from Andersonville Prison. He jumped off a train while being transferred to another prison, but was re-captured. He died in Salisbury Prison in 1864 at the age of thirty-eight.
Several Rochester landmarks are pictured in this early street scene. Some of the buildings visible are: Olmsted County Court House, Episcopal Church, Presbyterian Church, Congregational Church, Old Central School and the Universalist Church.
Five men are posed on the front porch of the E. D. Buck Store in High Forest, Minnesota. The men are, left to right: Charles Armstrong, Harry Johnson, Vet Johnson, E. D. Buck, V. C. Dickey. After serving in the civil War, E. D. Buck retired to High forest and engaged in the mercantile business.
The banks of the Zumbro River are spanned by a bridge at Oronoco. This bridge, built about 1876, was the second bridge at this location and was later replaced by a concrete bridge in 1918.
The Beardsley Saloon was located at 214 South Broadway. James Beardsley (on right with mustache) is standing with an unidentified man behind the counter. The saloon had a stove in the center and pool tables located in the back.
A large stove dominates one wall of the Kennedy Saloon. Wooden chairs are placed on either side of the stove. On the opposite wall is the bar with Mr. Kennedy standing behind the counter. Other features include a large mirror over the bar and several spittoons on the floor. A man is sitting in one of the chairs by the stove reading a newspaper.
Part of the destroyed residential section is shown in this photo taken after the 1883 tornado. Several homes are badly damaged and many are completely destroyed. The tornado struck Rochester in the early evening of Aug. 21, 1883.
Two women are walking among the debris, another woman is sitting down. The trees have lost their leaves in the storm. Very little is recognizable among the piles of rubble except a chair and a wagon wheel. The tornado struck Rochester in the early evening of Aug. 21, 1883.
The destructive force of the tornado is evident in this scene of destroyed homes in the residential section of North Rochester. In the early evening on Tuesday, August 21, 1883, a cyclone devastated the city of Rochester. About one third of the city was completely destroyed and the remainder was heavily damaged. North Rochester, or Lower Town was the hardest hit. This section of the city was largely inhabited by working people.
This photo was taken in North Rochester near the Cook and Proud residences. People are looking through piles of rubble. A dead horse is in the foreground, possibly impaled with a tree or branch. The tornado struck Rochester in the early evening of Aug. 21, 1883.
The west end of Cole's Mill was blown in, the roof blown off, the corner of a wall torn out, the machinery damaged and the cooper shop destroyed. Eight box cars were overturned and two carloads of flour were in the mill race. John M. Cole, the proprietor of the mill was found dead in the street between the mill and his residence. He had apparently left the mill to go home when he was killed by the storm. In the foreground is the leveled home of Paul Thompson, who worked for the mill and occupied a home rented from the mill. The stove is all that is recognizable of any of the house furnishings. The tornado struck Rochester in the early evening of Aug. 21, 1883.
This large building was completely destroyed by the 1883 tornado. Roof timbers are broken and laying on a pile of loose bricks. The caption reads ""Machine Shop"". The tornado struck Rochester in the early evening of Aug. 21, 1883.
This photo shows debris caught in trees, trees with no leaves and piles of rubble everywhere. The tornado struck Rochester in the early evening of Aug. 21, 1883.
The force of the winds from the 1883 tornado blew the railroad bridge into the Zumbro River. The tornado struck Rochester in the early evening of Aug. 21, 1883.
Vedder's Farm Machinery Depot was the largest in Southeastern Minnesota. It was built in 1879 and located on the corner of 5th and Broadway. About 75 feet of his store was destroyed. Albert D. Vedder and his wife were in the cellar and saved from death by heavy timbers that lodged above them and kept the ruined masonry from crushing them. The tornado struck Rochester in the early evening of Aug. 21, 1883.
Only a few houses remain standing after the 1883 tornado. This is the view from Cole's Mill showing the residential section of Rochester. The tornado struck Rochester in the early evening of Aug. 21, 1883.
Most of the houses have been destroyed in this view of a street in Rochester after the tornado of 1883. The buildings left standing are all heavily damaged. The tornado struck Rochester in the early evening of Aug. 21, 1883.
One building in this scene of a section of Broadway is still standing. All other buildings have been destroyed by the 1883 tornado. The wooden walkway is also damaged in several sections. The tornado struck Rochester in the early evening of Aug. 21, 1883.
This photo was taken from Cole's Mill and shows the extensive property damage from the 1883 tornado. The tornado struck Rochester in the early evening of Aug. 21, 1883.
This view of North Rochester shows the most heavily settled section of the city. Very few houses are still standing after the 1883 tornado. This photo was taken from Cole's Mill. The tornado struck Rochester in the early evening of Aug. 21, 1883.
The T. P. Hall Buggy Works lost part of the roof and the side of the building in the 1883 tornado. Carriages and wagons are visible as well as the remains of an freight elevator structure. The business was located on the corner of College Street and Main Street. The tornado struck Rochester in the early evening of Aug. 21, 1883.
The Chicago & North Western Railroad yards received severe damage from the 1883 tornado. Box cars, buildings and stock pens were destroyed. The tornado struck Rochester in the early evening of Aug. 21, 1883.