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.
Snow on Front Street in Mankato with street cars. (A slightly different view is also in the Blue Earth County Historical Society collection: Local Identifier p-5187.)
This sound clip highlights the blizzard and flood in Roseau County in the spring of 1950. The Roseau County Historical Society prepared this radio script to share county history through broadcasts on KJ102 FM in Roseau. The topics highlight the history of Roseau County and the people that lived there.
