1882 Grinnell tornado

1882 tornado in Iowa, U.S. Dr. Grewell's house. Five of the family held in the ruins but unhurt (NYPL b11707472-G90F194 002ZF).tiff A stereo card of damage from the tornado in Grinnell; five people were buried under rubble at this location but survived June 17, 1882 atl F5 F5 equiv. tornado ≥ 68 ~ 300 (estimated) On June 17, 1882, one of the deadliest tornadoes in Iowa history moved through several communities east of Des Moines, Iowa, notably Grinnell and Malcolm, killing 68 people and injuring an estimated 300 more. The tornado produced F5-rated damage along a track spanning over 100 miles. Later estimates suggest that more than 100 people may have been killed by the tornado.Kelley Matt 2016-06-17 Iowa's worst tornado days 134 years ago remembered https://www.radioiowa.com/2016/06/17/iowas-worst-tornado-days-134-years-ago-remembered/ 2025-02-22 Radio Iowa Tornado summary Shortly before the tornado, it was noted that "the northern sky was hung with conical, downard-pointing clouds, the like of which none of us had ever seen." The tornado touched down at night, moving to the west. Witnesses stated that the tornadic storm was accompanied by heavy rain and loud thunder. The tornado damaged buildings and foliage after touching down.June 22, 1882 A Deadly Tornado - Central Iowa Swept With a Terrible Storm Saturday Night. - 50 People Killed at Grinnell Alone. 3 Killed at Malcom. - At Mt. Pleasant Too. https://iagenweb.org/history/newspapers/22Jun1882.htm 2025-02-22 The Republican Lightning was also produced by the storm as it continued to move to the west; a June 1882 publication of The Republican described that the tornado moved at exceptionally fast speeds, producing heavy damage but not damaging one place for more than a few minutes at a time. The publication also noted that the tornado remained relatively narrow along its track, despite producing exceptionally intense damage to areas it impacted directly. The tornado was visible as it swiftly approached the town of Grinnell; the Grinnell College noted that "two tornadoes formed, one from the southwest and one from the north",Destruction and Rebirth: The Cyclone of 1882 https://www.grinnell.edu/about/leadership/offices-services/communications/podcast/all-things-grinnell/cyclone 2025-02-22 Grinnell College indicating a possible twin tornado that accompanied the main tornado that was bearing down on Grinnell. The tornado killed 39 people in Grinnell, leveling dozens of homes and destroying the college campus located in the town.Weig Nick 2023-06-17 Grinnell remembers devastating tornado and rebirth of college 141 years later https://cbs2iowa.com/news/local/grinnell-remembers-devastating-tornado-and-rebirth-of-college-141-years-later 2025-02-22 KGAN Along with the 39 people killed in Grinnell, the tornado killed a further ten people in the Rippey area, seven in Jasper County and ten more in Malcom.Grazulis Thomas Thomas P. Grazulis The Most 'Important' US Tornadoes by State https://tornadoproject.com/alltorns/worstts.htm 2025-03-02 The Tornado Project Aftermath Following the event, Josiah Grinnell, founder of the town of Grinnell, helped to raise money to aid with recovery efforts. The Grinnell College counted total monetary losses from the tornado to be approximately $80,000 (1882 USD); the college's insurance policy over covered around $10,000 of that amount. After the tornado was mentioned in a publication of Harper's Weekly, donations from the public were sent to Grinnell from around the United States. In 1889, Grinnell College's yearbook was named The Cyclone, a reference to the tornado. Along with over 500 photographs that were taken by members of the public and photographers,Tornado of June 17, 1882, at Grinnell, Iowa. Henry Pittman´s residence (M-453) https://archives.bhsu.edu/as/public/repositories/2/archival_objects/4803 2025-02-22 Leland D. Case Library for Western Historical Studies several photos of damage from the tornado were also moved into the Library of Congress.Work of Tornado, June 17th, 1882, Grinnell, Iowa Library of Congress https://www.loc.gov/item/2022645206/ 2025-02-22 Library of Congress See also 2022 Winterset tornado, an EF4 tornado that killed six people southwest of Des Moines over 100 years later References 1882-06-17 Category:June 1882 in the United States Category:Grinnell, Iowa Category:Des Moines metropolitan area 1882-06-17 1882-06-17