This storm occurred in September, 1865, and spent its fury chiefly in Isanti county, but extended beyond and was felt even in Wisconsin. The tornado gathered its wrath in the southwestern region of Isanti county, in what is called the "Lake Typo settlement," some forty miles north of St. Paul. It was first discovered in the shape of "two clouds," as the people there residing expressed it, "approaching each other from different directions." Suddenly the mingling of these counter currents of strong winds appeared to form the blackened heavens into a funnel-shaped mass. The direction of the whirlwind was from southwest to northeast, and after crossing the St. Croix river passed through an unsettled portion of timber lands known as "pine barrens," a growth of scattering pines interspersed with black oaks of medium size.
On Wood river, Burnett county, Wisconsin, the trunks of pine trees, three feet in diameter and eighty feet high, were twisted into "broom splints" and carried high in air. The intervening oaks were also served the same way; and the whole track of the tornado, from thirty rods to three-fourths of a mile in width, had left no tree standing. Pines and oaks were all prostrate, and promiscuously heaped up in winrows over the ground, their branches and trunks interlocked, and in some places piled to the height of thirty feet.
The author of this work lost about 10,000,000 feet of pine logs in Wood river in this cyclone. On Clam river, Wisconsin, for four miles in length and about half a mile in width, the forest was laid in winrows, and parties who came through soon after the tempest had to cut their way.
The tornado, traveling with the velocity of lightning to the northeast, overtook Dr. Comfort, of Wyoming, as he was crossing Sunrise prairie with a mule team, accompanied by a hired man. The doctor and man saved themselves by clinging to some shrubs near by, but when the fury of the whirlwind had passed, all they could find of their outfit was the poor mules, half frightened to death, and the fore wheels and tongue of the wagon. The hind wheels, box, and the rest of the outfit, together with the doctor's medicine kit, which he had along, when last seen, were bound zenithward.
Wm. A. Hobbs, late quartermaster sergeant of the Third Minnesota Battery, Light Artillery, and Orville Grant and brother—sons of R. Grant, Esq., a farmer living in Isanti county—were out hunting, and happened to be caught where the storm passed through the heaviest timber. They saw it approaching, and at first attempted to take shelter in an old school house near by, but soon saw that was no place for them and made for an old pine log which they got behind; soon that commenced to move. Hobbs seized hold of an oak, some ten inches in diameter, which immediately commenced to be loosened at the roots and to spin around like a top. The tree was prostrated and he with it—he receiving very severe injuries. The Grant boys, were also injured, but none near so badly as Hobbs. The log school house shared the fate of the surrounding forest. A resident near by states that he saw one-half the roof sailing upward at least four hundred feet above the tops of the tallest trees.
THE COTTAGE GROVE CYCLONE.
On June 15, 1877, a terrific cyclone visited the town of Cottage Grove, Washington county, Minnesota. We append the correct and vivid description taken from the "History of Washington County:"
"At 9 o'clock p. m. there arose in the southwest a dark and heavy cloud, attended with loud thunder, vivid lightning and a strong wind. The cloud moved forward rapidly; soon the rain began to fall in torrents, when suddenly the wind came dashing with great violence, sweeping everything before it. There seemed to be two currents of wind, one coming from the west and the other from the southwest. These two currents came together in section 22. The stronger current being from the southwest, the storm took a northwestern direction, and did some damage in section 27, taking away a portion of the roof of Ethan Viall's house, and a trunk out of the chamber, no trace of which could be found. A corn cultivator was taken up, some portions of which were never found, while other parts were found two miles from the place of its taking. In section 22, when the currents met, the destruction of property beggars description. The timber in its track was prostrated; fences were torn up and scattered in every direction; E. Welch's house came in the line of desolation; Mr. and Mrs. Welch had stepped out to look after some chickens in which Mrs. Welch was specially interested, and, startled by the roar of the wind, were in the act of returning to the house. When near the door the wind took up the house, bearing it away, and a stick of timber struck both Mr. and Mrs. Welch, knocking them down. When Mr. Welch recovered he had hold of his wife, but she was dead. The stick of timber struck her on the head and caused instant death. The next object in the path of destruction was C. D. Tuttle's two story dwelling, located in the northwest corner of section 26. The main part of the house was torn to pieces and scattered in every direction, while the wing was left unmoved. The family, consisting of six persons, fled to the cellar and were miraculously preserved. The large barn a few rods further on was completely destroyed. Next in its course was Mr. J. C. Tucker's barn, the roof of which suddenly passed along on the breeze. At this point the storm turned, taking a northeasterly direction, and struck the house of Robert Williams, damaging the house and entirely destroying the barn. A horse tied to a girder in the barn was found, uninjured, sixty feet outside of the limits of the building, with the girder lying across him, and the strap still tied to it. Next in line was a small lake in the southwest corner of section 23. It was almost robbed of its treasure. The water and mud was carried a long distance up the bluffs, fifty feet above the level of the lake. Next came the fine house of John Morey, giving a portion of its roof to the excited wind; then passed into the town of Denmark, continuing its destructive course, killing a horse for W. G. Wagner, near the town line. A man known as Michael Schull, a farm hand, was taken up by the wind and dashed against a pile of wood, injuring his brain, causing him to become dangerous. He is now at St. Peter in the insane asylum. The destruction of property was great. No accurate account of the amount of damage done has been compiled. Mr. Tuttle, living in section 26, suffered the most. He estimated his loss at $7,000. His house was situated in a valley surrounded by oak trees, and we would suppose was protected by the strong bulwarks of Nature, and yet house, barn, farming utensils, and machinery were scattered over the country. The next morning sheets of tin two feet square, found in Mr. Tuttle's yard, were supposed to have come from a church in Dakota county. Portions of Mr. Tuttle's house were found miles away."
The same cyclone visited Lake Elmo and did great damage, blowing down the depot buildings, Lake Elmo Hotel and other structures. The buildings and trees of the agricultural fair grounds were destroyed. Some parts of the buildings were carried miles away by the storm.