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).
The Mark and Judith Ahlstrom home at 202 North Third Street suffered extensive damage from a tornado in March of 1998 in St. Peter, Minnesota. The house was later restored. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Armistice Day Blizzard of November 11, 1940, hit New Brighton hard. On the day following the blizzard, Phil Hadock and Sid Weber stand behind a big drift next to Butch Schmalzbauer's Jack Sprat Food Store to talk about the weather. Many New Brightonites took stranded travelers into their homes overnight.
The Armistice Day Blizzard of November 11, 1940, found many residents of New Brighton providing food and shelter for storm victims. Many cars were stranded and travelers rescued by New Brighton residents during the fierce storm.
The west side of the 100 block of South Minnesota Avenue in St. Peter is shown on November 11th, 1940 during the famous Armistice Day Blizzard. The Nicollet Hotel Bar, the Seitzer Ford automobile dealership, and a part of the Ludcke Theater can be seen behind the snow that has been removed from the avenue.
The west side of the 300 block of South Minnesota Avenue in St. Peter is shown on November 11th, 1940 during the famous Armistice Day Blizzard. The Red Owl grocery store can be seen in the Masonic Hall building, and the Nicollet County Bank is visible at the far right. Large mounds of snow can be seen between the avenue and the stores.
The west side of the 200 block of South Minnesota Avenue in St. Peter is shown on November 11th, 1940 during the famous Armistice Day Blizzard. The Central Meat Market, the Rolling Pin Bakery, and the Kurth Beauty Shop are visible behind the mounds of snow that have been removed from the avenue.
The remains of the Arts and Heritage Center at 320 South Fifth Street are visible at the far right after a tornado damaged many structures in March of 1998 in St. Peter, Minnesota. The building in the background was then being used as the Community Center. Both buildings were originally constructed as high schools.
The Arts and Heritage Center, originally constructed in 1870 as the city's first high school, was destroyed by a tornado in March of 1998 in St. Peter, Minnesota. It was located on the northwest corner of the intersection of South Fifth and West Grace Streets, facing Grace. The building at the far right was built in 1907 as a more modern high school. It was being used as the Community Center when the tornado destroyed it.
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.
This picture shows Peterson with saw and sawhorse, cutting wood for the fire, on a path that goes past a house and yard in a snowy St. Peter neighborhood. In the distance is the Swedish Lutheran Church, located at 4th and Elm Streets.