FERGUS FALLS Minn. ~ 1912 tornado RPPC postcard ~ farm, steam engine, Case eqt.

Description

DESCRIPTION:
This real-photo postcard shows tornado destruction at a farm. The event is identified by a handwritten note in pencil on the back of the postcard: "tornado July 9, 1912 Fergus Falls MN." (It's possible the date is when the picture was taken, not the date of the event.) At the far left, just below three men, is what appears to be the front of a steam engine. In the center of the image are two men next to a boiler, while a smashed wagon and wood from a barn largely obscure what looks to be Case thresher. (Only the "ase" are visible of the name.)
Wikipedia offers this entry regarding the event:
The 1919 Fergus Falls tornado was a large and destructive tornado that struck Fergus Falls, Minnesota on Sunday, June 22, 1919. It killed 57 people and is the second deadliest tornado in Minnesota's history (1st was the 1886 Sauk Rapids tornado). This tornado occurred just 10 months after a tornado in Tyler, Minnesota killed 36 people. That twister was Minnesota's fourth deadliest on record.
The tornado had a path of 20 miles (32 km), and at times was 400 yards (366 m) wide. It hit Fergus Falls at approximately 4:46 pm, and according to witness accounts was a "blank funnel shaped twisting cloud, or possibly several of them". Though the Fujita scale did not exist at that time, it is estimated to have been an F5 based on descriptions and photographs of the damage.
The tornado tore through the northern part of town, leveling 44 city blocks (including the business district), destroying 159 homes and damaging 250 more, some of which were swept completely away. Of the 57 people who died, at least 35 of them were in the Grand Hotel, a three-story, 100 room hotel which was completely flattened. Two hundred more were injured. The tornado also destroyed the Otter Tail County courthouse, the county jail, four churches and multiple other businesses. Small trees in town were debarked, and railroad tracks were reportedly pulled from the ground at one location, indicative of extreme intensity. The Northern Pacific rail depot was completely destroyed, and reportedly swept away. At Lake Alice, several summer homes were swept into the water along with their occupants, resulting in several fatalities there. The Great Northern Oriental Limited passenger train was thrown off the tracks by the tornado, but none of the 250 passengers on the train was seriously injured. Checks that were sucked up by the tornado in Fergus Falls were found 60 miles to the east.
BACK:
Divided.
POSTMARK:
None.
CONDITION:
Crisp edges. Light wear to the corners.
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Keywords: disaster, MN