Sunday, August 20, 2017

On This Date in Minnesota History: August 20

August 20, 1905 – St. Cloud and Sauk Rapids were swept by a storm that threatened to take the proportions of a tornado at 5:15 this afternoon. Although the storm lasted just 22 minutes, property valued at many thousands of dollars was destroyed and two persons were injured.

Glass was broken; crops injured; electric light, street railway and telephone and telegraph wires blown down and a large lumber mill twirled into a wrecked mass of lumber and iron.

The mill was owned by the Julius Neils Lumber Company and was located in Sauk Rapids. Huge piles of lumber were blown away. Some of the timbers were hurled toward the city and some were swept into the river, the swift current quickly carrying them away. It is probable this lumber concern is the heaviest individual loser from the storm.


Julius Neils1

The J. Neils Lumber Company was incorporated on March 23, 1895, in Sauk Rapids,
Minn., with a capital investment of $30,000.2


John Welm and William Strommel, both of St. Cloud, were hurt. Welm’s horse became frightened and ran away. He was thrown out of the buggy and sustained a double fracture of the leg and a broken nose. Strommel was standing on a sidewalk when the storm broke and he was struck in the head by a piece of flying glass. His scalp was injured slightly.

The wind played havoc with windows, shade trees and wood sheds in St. Cloud and Sauk Rapids. Probably 1,000 panes of glass in both cities were broken.

The Minneapolis Journal; “Two Hurt at St. Cloud. Storm Threatened to Assume Proportions of Tornado.”; August 21, 1905; p. 6.

1http://dnrc.mt.gov/divisions/forestry/docs/docs-forestry-pioneers/jneils.png

2http://dnrc.mt.gov/divisions/forestry/forestry-pioneers/j-neils-family

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If you are interested in finding out more about your family history in Minnesota, I specialize in researching  genealogical and historical records in Minn. and western Wis., including:
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