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.
Wooden furniture, upholstered furniture, rugs and wall decorations line the walls of the interior of the P. F. Johnson Furniture and Undertaking Store. Wooden chairs are hanging from the ceiling. The store was located on the southwest corner of Broadway and College Street (Fourth Street SW).
Inflated balloons are being walked in from the edges of the field toward the gondola to be joined into clusters just prior to Dr. Piccard's take off. Dr. Jean Piccard was a University of Minnesota physicist and aeronautical engineer who believed it was possible to ascend into the stratosphere using many small cluster balloons rather than one large balloon. The experimental flight was sponsored by the Rochester Kiwanis Club and supported by local residents and students.
Assistants are holding individual inflated balloons at Soldiers Field while waiting for the signal to move towards the center and join the balloons into clusters for Dr. Jean Piccard's balloon ascension in the early hours of July 18, 1937.
Cluster balloons have been inflated and are attached to the gondola, the Pleiades, just prior to take off from Soldier's Field in Rochester, MN. Dr. Jean Piccard was a University of Minnesota physicist and aeronautical engineer who believed it was possible to ascend into the stratosphere using many small cluster balloons rather than one large balloon. The experimental flight was sponsored by the Rochester Kiwanis Club and supported by local residents and students.
Ticket number 1008 admitted one person to Soldiers Field in Rochester, Minnesota to view the preparations and balloon flight of Dr. Jean Piccard. Originally scheduled for sometime in June, the flight was delayed until July 17 - 18, 1937 when optimum weather conditions permitted a safe flight. Dr. Jean Piccard was a University of Minnesota physicist and aeronautical engineer who believed it was possible to ascend into the stratosphere using many small cluster balloons rather than one large balloon. The experimental flight was sponsored by the Rochester Kiwanis Club and supported by local residents and students.
Assistants are inflating individual balloons with hydrogen at Soldier's Field in Rochester, MN prior to Dr. Jean's Piccard's experimental balloon ascension. Dr. Jean Piccard was a University of Minnesota physicist and aeronautical engineer who believed it was possible to ascend into the stratosphere using many small cluster balloons rather than one large balloon. The experimental flight was sponsored by the Rochester Kiwanis Club and supported by local residents and students.
Dr. Jean Piccard's family is working on the gondola, Pleiades, before his balloon flight from Rochester, Minnesota. Left to right, Professor Jean Piccard, thirteen year old Paul, Dr. Jeannette Picard (his wife), seventeen year old John and eleven year old Donald. Dr. Jean Piccard was a University of Minnesota physicist and aeronautical engineer who believed it was possible to ascend into the stratosphere using many small cluster balloons rather than one large balloon. The experimental flight was sponsored by the Rochester Kiwanis Club and supported by local residents and students.
Seventeen year old John Piccard, eldest son of Dr. Jean Piccard, is fastening toggles to the loading ring of his fathers gondola, Pleiades, prior to Dr. Jean Piccard's historic flight. Dr. Jean Piccard was a University of Minnesota physicist and aeronautical engineer who believed it was possible to ascend into the stratosphere using many small cluster balloons rather than one large balloon. The experimental flight was sponsored by the Rochester Kiwanis Club and supported by local residents and students.
A group of people, picnicking at Fugel's Mill, are posed by a hammock. Back row (left to right): John M. Rowley, Mary Peck, Leslie Stillwell, Ruth Chadbourne, Sam Furlow, Spencer Knapp, Anna Cross (behind fan), Burt W. Eaton, Lucy Du Bois, Clara F. Olds; middle row: M. G. Denton, Inez Kinsbury, John J. Fulkerson, Hattie Smith, Miss Sayles; front row: Miss Evans, Miss Gramling, Will Smith, Matie Knapp, Frank E. Gooding, Miss Evans.
A small group of people are standing in front of the Pierce House (built in 1877) with a carriage and team of horses in the street. The hotel was located at 215 South Main Street (now First Avenue SW). Over the years the name of the hotel changed several times: 1884 Commercial House, 1893 Grand Union Hotel, 1895 Rochester Hotel,1920 Olmsted Hospital, 1922 Rochester Hotel, 1923 Rochester's Nurses Home, 1928 Maxwell House (Hall) and 1968 Maxwell Guest House.
This plat book was drawn from actual surveys and county records and includes Olmsted County, the individual townships, cities, towns, a patron's directory and a table of distances for the county. Township maps show the property owners, location of roads, railroad tracks, schools, rivers, farm houses, cemeteries and mills.
Teachers and students are posed in front of Pleasant Grove School House (District 140). In 1886, Pleasant Grove Township provided transportation, at township expenses, for students attending the school. Theodore Eppland was the driver of the wagon or ""school bus"". This was the first publicly provided school transportation in Olmsted County.
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.
James George was born in 1819 in New York state. In 1942, he married Rhoda Pierce. He lived for a time in Ohio where he was elected to Register of Deeds for Butler County (Ohio). James George served in the military during the Mexican War. He moved to Minnesota in 1854 and settled in Oronoco township (Olmsted County) on land acquired with a government warrant issued for payment of his services during the Mexican War. In 1858 he moved to Dodge County and help found the village of Wasioja. He later became interested in recruiting soldiers for the Civil War. He served in the Second Minnesota Volunteers and raised many of the recruits for Company C of that unit. At the close of the Civil War, he returned to Oronoco. In 1870, he opened a law office in Rochester and practiced law for many years before he died in 1882.
Martha Muir (Dieter) was born in Glasgow, Scotland on August 16, 1824. When she was about eighteen years old, she immigrated to the United States with her sister's family and settled in Ormo, Wisconsin. She married Jacob Dieter on July 21, 1859 in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. She lost her husband during the Civil War and she died on January 17, 1904.
Posed in a group photograph are the employees of the Rochester Post Office. Employees are (front row, left to right): Lyman Tondro (Postmaster); Miss Lettie Williams (General Delivery Clerk); Mrs. Florence Tondro Goodrich (Clerk); Ralph Baker (Stamp seller); John Bemis, (Money order and newspaper stand). The first carriers are (back row, left to right): William H. Rowley, Arthur Williams, James Jacks and Henry Wrought (sub carrier).
The employees of the Rochester Post Office are posed in a group photograph. Employees are (front row, left to right): Matheson, James L.; Sweeney, Miss Mary; Williams, D. L.; Howard Mulholland and Harry J. Rowley (boy). The employees in the back row are (left to right): Jacks, James M.; Haggerty, Reed; Williams, Tal, Jr.; Lyons, Frank; Wrought, Henry; Graham, Art and William H. Rowley.
Harold H. Crawford designed this "Scottish Cottage" as a summer home for Dr. Donald C. Balfour. The architectural drawing shows the elevations of the house.
Harold H. Crawford designed this "Scottish Cottage" as a summer home for Dr. Donald C. Balfour. The architectural drawing shows the elevations of the house.
Harold H. Crawford designed this building for the Masonic Temple in Tracy, Minnesota. The architectural rendering was a presentation drawing for a client.
Harold H. Crawford designed this building for the Hayfield Presbyterian Church in Hayfield, Minnesota. The architectural rendering was a presentation drawing for a client.
Harold H. Crawford designed this building for Central School in Rochester, Minnesota. The architectural drawing was a presentation drawing for a bond referendum.
The destroyed Proud's residence is shown in this photo with the wagon wheels among the debris in the front. 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.
Rochester City Hall is situated on the corner of the intersection of First Avenue Southwest and Third Street Southwest. City Hall was built in 1884 and was razed in 1931 to make room for a new city hall. To the right is the Electric Light Plant, built in 1894 and burned in 1915.
A group of six boys are posed with newspaper carrier bags and newspapers (Rochester Daily Post); left to right: Clarence Sisson, Harry Gilman, Irwin Churchill, Edward Britzius, Arthur Bogart, Eddie Enquest (Enquist)
Third Street SW is shown, looking north. City Hall (built in 1884) is partially visible on the left. The uniformed firemen are standing in front of the Rochester Fire Department, left to right: William (Billy) Murray, William J. Hall, Bill Cudmore, Charles Zimmerman, William Boylhart, Henry (Stoney) Jacobs, John Hohler, Jack McHugh and driver Jack Ryan. Richard Ryan rented his team to the Fire Department. The horses pictured are the first team used by Fire Department. Previous to the horses, hand carts were pulled by volunteer firemen. The Rochester Electric Light Plant (built in 1893) was located between City Hall and the Fire Department.
Dick Ryan, Jack McHugh, Ed Hicks and Chief Boyhart are posed by the 1912 American LaFrance motorized pumper in front of the Central Fire Station. This was the first piece of motorized fire fighting equipment owned by the Rochester Fire Department.
Several people are working at looms inside the Rochester Rug Factory. Different types of looms and other rug making equipment are arranged around the room. A stove is located in the center of the space.
Doctors and nurses perform surgery on a patient in the operating room at the Rochester State Hospital. A group of women (nurses?) are observing the procedure from a gallery area.
People are pictured walking through the landscaped gardens, flower beds and walkways of the Rochester State Hospital. The hospital, also known as the Second Hospital for the Insane, opened in 1879. Farm fields are visible in the background.
People with horses and buggies are seen in the foreground of the Rochester State Hospital in this exterior photo. The hospital, also known as the Second Hospital for the Insane, opened in 1879.
A piano, still in the shipping crate, sits on the sidewalk outside the Wagoner Music Company. The piano was manufactured at the Vose Piano Factory. The music store was located at 101 - 105 South Main (First Avenue SW). To the left of the music store at 107 South Main (First Avenue SW) is Rochester Steam Laundry.
Laundry supplies and wicker baskets are arranged around the interior of the Rochester Steam Laundry. The business was located at 107 South Main (First Avenue SW).
An operating table, medical instruments, and scrub sink are features of the Saint Marys Hospital's operating room. A woman (nurse?) is standing by the doorway.
Several patients are recuperating in the 10-bed ward at Saint Marys Hospital. A large spittoon is located in the center of the room surrounded by beds and wooden dressers. A crucifix and religious paintings are hung on the wall. The two nurses are Sister Joseph Dempsey and Sister Constantine Poutal.
Horses and a carriage are parked by the front steps of the main entrance to Saint Marys Hospital. This view shows the original section of the hospital built in 1889 and four additions added between 1893 and 1909
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.
Book of plat maps of all the townships in Olmsted County, Minnesota, with owners' names. Maps of the United States and the world are included along with a chronological history of the world. There is also a section detailing the system of land surveys and the system of civil government in the United States.
A Plat Book of the villages, cities and townships of the county, Map of the State, United States and World, Farmers Directory, Reference Business Directory and Departments devoted to general information. Analysis of the System of US Land Surveys, Digest of the System of Civil Governments and more.
Instructions for groups and individuals assisting with ground crew and balloon inflation for the Dr. Jean Piccard balloon ascension in 1937 are described I this four page document. Details of balloon construction and inflation procedures are given in addition to the order of operations and signals. Dr. Jean Piccard was a University of Minnesota physicist and aeronautical engineer who believed it was possible to ascend into the stratosphere using many small cluster balloons rather than one large balloon. The experimental flight was sponsored by the Rochester Kiwanis Club and supported by local residents and students.
Men are paving Zumbro Street (Second Street SW) with wooden blocks at the intersection with Main Street (First Avenue SW). Buildings visible in this scene are the Y.M.C.A., Universalist Church, Masonic Temple, Zumbro Hotel, Odd Fellows Building and the Scott and Everstine Store. The second person from the right in the foreground, facing the horses, is John Jensen.
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.
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.
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.
The office of the Rochester Telephone Company (organized in 1895) was located over Farm's Grocery Store on Zumbro Street West (now 2nd Street SW). ; The first telephone service for general use had 75 subscribers. This interior view shows women telephone operators working at the manual switch board (left to right): Lydia Witteau, Katherine Casey, Frances Lund, Carrie Hanson, Ophelia Delaney, Susie Arndt, Mabel Bascomb, Hilda Hanson.
The Cook Block was built by John Ramsey Cook in 1877. Because of the confusion with the Cook Hotel building, which he built in 1869, he renamed the Cook Block the Ramsey Block (for his mother). This building was located at 20 Second Street SW (formerly Zumbro Street). C. F. Massey Company later moved to this location. In 1883, Dr. William Worrall Mayo rented the first floor for his offices, consulting and operating room. The laboratories were on the second floor. Dr. W. W. Mayo and his two sons, Dr. William J. Mayo and Dr. Charles H. Mayo, operated their medical practice in this building until 1901. This building is the earliest location of what would later become the Mayo Clinic.
The 4th of July parade is shown moving west on Third Street SW, in front of the Rochester City Hall (left) and Rochester Fire Department (center). Horse drawn wagons and buggies were decorated for the celebration.
Several people are posed on a tractor and thresher with other people driving teams pulling wagons. A barn and a large pile of chaff are in the background.
Members of a threshing crew are posed in front of and on a steam tractor and thresher. The tractor and thresher have large metal wheels. There is a large pile of chaff in the background.
A Fifteen horse International gas engine runs a separator on the old Bierbaum homestead. The equipment had to be hauled from farm to farm with horses. The man sitting on the side of the engine with his feet on the basket is Claus Dubbels of Viola Township who lived to be 103 years old. H. H. Bierbaum is on the threshing machine. The elderly man in back of the engine is Herman Stickford.
A group of spectators at the entrance to the Zumbro Hotel watch four men in a car at the curb. A jug, spare tire and sign reading ""New York to Rochester"" hang on the side of the car.
This is an original plat of Olmsted County with many handwritten notes and drawings showing early Minnesota settlers, farmers and other town landscape features. This map is the earliest documentation we have found in our collection of the farms, towns, and topography of Olmsted County, Minnesota.
Luggage is piled on the roof of the first bus to regularly travel between Rochester and the Twin Cities. The bus line was operated by Leon Van Tassel and later became the Rochester Bus Line.
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.
Spectators are seen watching the flood waters from the College (4th Street) Street bridge. The Riverside Livery is visible on the right. After several days of drenching rains along the Zumbro River basin, the river overflowed its banks in Rochester early on the morning of early on June 26, 1908. The river rose at a rapid rate (four feet in 20 minutes) and did extensive damage to the business and residential sections of the city.
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.
Cole's Mill is viewed from the mill race showing six overturned railroad cars and another railroad car at the end of the race. The mill was extensively damaged by the 1883 tornado. 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. The tornado struck Rochester in the early evening of Aug. 21, 1883.
The railroad tracks leading up to Cole's Mill are blocked by an overturned railroad car. 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. The tornado struck Rochester in the early evening of Aug. 21, 1883.
The mill race is filled with debris and an overturned railroad car. The damaged Cole's Mill is in the background. A horse and buggy stand near the mill. 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. 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 object in the foreground is a roll of tin that was torn off the Heaney Building by the 1883 tornado. The Heaney Block is on the right, with the Cook House across the street (to the left of Heaney Block). On the 3rd floor of Heaney Hall, Dr. William Worrall Mayo set up a temporary hospital for the care of those injured in the tornado. The tornado struck Rochester in the early evening of Aug. 21, 1883.
The tin from the roof of the Heaney Block was rolled up and dropped on the street by the force of the tornado. Just to the left (south) is the Cook House, built in 1869. The Heaney Block was built by Daniel Heaney in 1866. It was in this building, on the 3rd floor, where Dr. William W. Mayo set up temporary hospital for the care of those injured in the tornado. 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 Zumbro River flooded a residential section of the city in this photo taken from the brewery. The area in the background would later become Soldiers Field Park. After several days of drenching rains along the Zumbro River basin, the river overflowed its banks in Rochester early on the morning of early on June 26, 1908. The river rose at a rapid rate (four feet in 20 minutes) and did extensive damage to the business and residential sections of the city.
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.
A man is leaning against a wall of the Weber's residence. Another wall lies flat on the ground and the roof is missing. The tornado struck Rochester in the early evening of Aug. 21, 1883.
The Winona and Southwestern Railway train is pictured moving over a trestle bridge on it's way from Spring Valley to Winona. In 1890, tracks were laid from Winona through St. Charles, Dover, Eyota, Simpson and Stewartville to Spring Valley and Osage. The railroad became the Winona & Western in 1894. A spur was built in 1900 from Simpson to Rochester. In 1901, the Winona & Western line was sold to the Chicago Great Western Railroad.
The Winona & Western Railway depot was located on the south side of College Street (now 4th Street SW) by the Zumbro River. The photo was taken on the west bank of the Zumbro River, looking east. The Chicago Great Western Railroad bought the Winona & Western Railway in 1901. In January of 1903, the depot was cut in two and moved across the river.
This winter scene shows a man, riding in a sleigh pulled by a horse, on the street in front of the W. H. . Dodge lumber yard. The business was started in 1869 by W. H. Dodge. His son, Elam Dodge, joined the firm in 1907 and the name was changed to Dodge Lumber and Fuel.
Two men are posed by a balloon with passenger basket at the Olmsted County Fairgrounds. The event was sponsored by the American Legion as a welfare benefit show.
Harold H. Crawford designed this structure for a band shell in Cannon Falls, Minnesota. The architectural drawing shows elevations and plans for the building. The band shell stands in John Burch Park near the center of the Cannon Falls, Minnesota.