A timber was impaled through a fourteen inch oak tree by the force of the 1883 tornado. The tornado struck Rochester in the early evening of Aug. 21, 1883.
Several people are viewing the damage from the 1883 tornado. A man is standing next to a piece of furniture and a boy is sitting with a large toy horse. Among the debris on the ground is a stove, windows and an umbrella. The inscription on the photo is: ""Cascade Park, 20 houses destroyed, 8 persons killed near here."" The tornado struck Rochester in the early evening of Aug. 21, 1883.
Two children are sitting on piles of bricks at the rear of the destroyed Rochester Harvester Works building. Piles of lumber and bricks surround the children. The tornado struck Rochester in the early evening of Aug. 21, 1883.
The destroyed C. Smith's residence is shown with the roof on the ground. In front of the collapsed building in a pile of rubble is a boot and a stove. The tornado struck Rochester in the early evening of Aug. 21, 1883.
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.
Cole's Mill , located in North Rochester, lost part of the roof and sections of the walls in the 1883 tornado. 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 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.
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.
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 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.