Cannon River at one of it's highest points after a huge rain. On the left is the Ames Mill and on the right is John North's orginal Mill. There is a team of horses riding across the bridge.
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.
The Northrop School was leveled by the 1883 tornado. This school served students of the Third Ward. The tornado struck Rochester in the early evening of Aug. 21, 1883.
This is an original picture, taken by Wilize (?) at the time, showing the ruins of Gladstone Hall, Red Wing, after the building had collapsed under the heft of 3 or 4 feet of heavy snow. The picture was gotten from W. S. Scott, Red Wing, Minn., in June, 1933. Note that Bush Street is covered and completely blockaded by stone and snow. (B. Eide)
Despite the fact that the new St. Benedict's Hospital boasted of a modern heating system, an operating room, two private rooms, wards, and a kitchen, only ten patients were received during the first two months. The sisters began to worry about their hospital project until a cyclone swept over St. Cloud and the neighboring towns killing 58 and injuring hundreds. It wrecked all in its wake but the hospital which became the center for rescue work. The sisters toiled for 48 hours before relief came from the Twin Cities and neighboring towns. The catastrophe broke down the prejudice against hospitals and, thereafter, St. Benedict's Hospital did not lack patients; at the close of the second year of service, the number of patients received reached 400. When over-crowded conditions forced the sisters to build a new hospital, St. Benedict's Hospital was converted to an academy of art and music (Saint Benedict's Monastery Archives , McDonald, page 254).
Overall view looking southwest of the destruction following the cyclone of 1886. A man stands in the foreground with devastation all around him including a dead cow lying in the lower right section of the shot. The Mississippi river can be seen in the distance.
Westward view of the devestation of a street in Sauk Rapids following the cyclone of 1886. Five men are standing in the foreground amongst the destruction.
Local relief committee inspecting some damage caused by the cyclone of 1886. Members of the committee met with state appointed committee members to assess damages and decide how to properly distribute donated funds for food, clothing, health care and for repair and new construction of structures.
View of the Benton County courthouse which was leveled by the cyclone of 1886. Some structures are left standing in the background, one of which is the Davis House.
View of the Benton County courthouse in ruins following the cyclone of 1886. A safe, chairs, storage shelves and bureaus are stacked close to a partially destroyed vault. A bent oak tree is prominently seen in the foreground on the right.
View of all that remains of the Charles Schultz farm following the cyclone of 1886. The farm was located four miles south of Rice's Station. This is the site where twelve people (including the groom and minister) died attending a wedding celebration.