Linn County, Iowa Tornado

June 3, 1860

The Tornado of June 3, 1860

The "Great Tornado" which desolated a wide area of territory throughout Eastern Iowa and Northern Illinois, in June, 1860, having its origin far to the westward, passed through Linn County. In the section visited by the destructive elements, the occurrence marks an epoch from which local events are dated. The appalling phenomenon serves to fix in the minds of even the most careless thinkers or observers the time at which transactions of general interest took their place in the history of the county. "Before the tornado," and "after the tornado," are recognized expressions of speech.

Well may those who beheld the darkening heavens and witnessed the outpourings of the powers of the air pray that they may never be called upon to view such another spectacle. The immensity of strength, the rapidity of movement, the irresistibility of progress, as compared with the pygmy might of mankind, awakened at once in the minds of all beholders sentiments more profound than fear; awe took possession of mankind and held him spell-bound in the presence of a force which neither man's intelligence nor man's knowledge of science has yet succeeded in conquering and transforming into a faithful slave. The marvels which have been performed within the last half century produce a credulous belief that no natural force exists which will not, sooner or later, own allegiance to man's dominion; that those occurrences which now are termed, through partial ignorance of their source and scope, natural phenomena, must abdicate in favor of man, and obey his bidding as implicitly as steam or electricity does to-day. The suggestion of so vast an extension of human power as to include the regulation of the meteorological forces may meet with smiles from the skeptical; but undoubtedly the historian who shall take up the thread of the record of Linn a century after we have laid it down, will recite the tragic story of the Great Tornado with a sense of mingled pity and contempt at the feebleness of those who lived in the years before the invention of the meteorologograph.

No matter what great changes the future has in store for this people, the facts of the disaster of June 3, 1860, will ever remain among the darkest records of the Northwest.

The origin of the tempest or the point where the whirlwind came in contact with the earth, in this county, was about six miles west of Marion. A Sunday evening's quiet reigned, as though nature had chosen to heighten the effect of the terrific display by breaking, with Olympic grandeur, a silence almost absolute. The storm appeared in the form of water-spouts, several of which were seen at the same time by persons outside the range of the tornado.

From the Linn County Register, published at Marion, copious extracts are made, the writer being assured of the general authenticity of the statements:

The storm passed through the southwestern part of Marion, but was evidently much spent in its force just there, and did but little damage. The railing of the long bridge at Indian Creek was torn down on the upper side, but otherwise that structure escaped injury. The storm passed in the direction of Mount Vernon, where much damage was done. The particulars are given below. The residence of Mr. Adam Lutz, some three miles southwest of Marion, on the North Cedar Rapids road, was a frame building, some forty by thirty feet, and, to all appearances, a very substantial one-story house. There was nothing left but a pile of rubbish to tell the tale that it was ever the habitation of a family. The sides, the roof, the furniture--in fact, all that goes to make up the thousand and one nameless comforts of a happy home--were scattered to the four winds. Everything was gone. The "angel of destruction" never appeared in a more terrible form than to this family on that fatal Sunday. The family consisted of the father, mother, a son about 17, two daughters, respectively 12 and 14, and a little child about 3 years old. In clearing the wreck, the family were all found together, except the daughter, upon whom the chimney seemed to have fallen. She was taken out terribly bruised and crushed, and died during the night, thus completing the first act in the tragedy of horrors in which the family were so unexpectedly called upon to participate. The eldest son, when the crash came, braced himself against the wall to hold it up, but was crushed down. The mother had her right arm broken, and the father, Mr. Lutz, was considerably bruised on the head and body, but the injuries were not dangerous. The girl, 14 years old, had her collar bone broken and some other slight wounds. The youngest child escaped without a bruise.

At the next farm, owned by James Reed, a new brick house was almost entirely destroyed. The upper story was blown off and the north wall fell out to the foundation. The family, consisting of fifteen persons, were all saved by the forethought of Mr. Reed, who, when he saw the storm coming, ordered all to repair to the cellar. They had barely reached the cellar when the house fell, but they were unhurt.

Another farm house near Mr. Reed's was entirely demolished, and the occupants injured some, but not dangerously.

The frame house of Mr. Furman escaped with loss of chimney tops. A cow, standing near the barn, had a large limb of a tree, four inches thick, driven completely through her body, killing her instantly.

The next place visited was that of Mr. Vaughn, one of the oldest and most respected citizens of the county. His house was completely wrecked. How the family could escape with but little injury was a miracle. Mrs. Vaughn was injured on the head, and one of the daughters received some severe wounds on the back. A young man who was in the house when the sides fell out was carried by the force of the wind into the yard, where the top of a tree fell on him, among the branches of which he remained until the storm was over, and he came out unhurt, being protected, no doubt, by them from the flying timbers and rubbish of the house. A large oak tree was torn from the ground, some thirty rods from the house, and carried bodily into the yard.
Mr. John G. McLeod's brick house was entirely destroyed. The family escaped without injury.

Mr. Cooper's substantial frame house was entirely destroyed. The family were uninjured. with the exception of Mr. Cooper, who was considerably bruised about the face and shoulders. Mr. Cooper's barn, a large frame one, with shed attached, was taken up from its foundations and moved about twelve feet west and three feet south and set down again in perfect order, horses, granaries, etc., all in good shape.

Just before the storm burst upon the premises of Mr. Vaughn, his old and favorite house cat, which had been asleep up stairs, rushed down and went howling in the direction of the forest. and was not heard of for some time; subsequently, however. Thomas Grimalkin was found all right--and, as the Register has it, thus verifying the adage "that a cat has nine lives;" but certain it was that the cat manifested, unmistakably, a premonition of the terrible visitation of the storm fiend.

A party of immigrants, from Indiana, were encamped near White Oak Grove, in Cedar County, during the great storm; but not being directly in the track of it, escaped without material injury.

A little girl 8 years old, had been sent to a neighboring farm house for a bucket of water, and upon her return was caught up by the wind and carried six miles. Her friends followed in the wake of the wind, expecting to find only her lifeless body; but after going the above distance, they found her in the ruins of a house that had been torn down, killing several of the inmates. She was uninjured and sitting on a feather bed, just where the wind had left her. A child was found near De Witt, Clinton County, on the remains of a stack of hay, which had been thrown down by the storm. The child was, apparently, about 9 months old, and was stripped entirely naked by the wind, but was unhurt. A lady in Clinton took charge of the child.

The Valley Times gives another account of the storm, in a different portion of the county:

To begin with, the tornado first commenced about five miles north of Cedar Rapids. The dwelling of Mr. Parks was unroofed. and all the outbuildings destroyed. The course of the tornado was a little south of east. and took in the dwelling of Mr. Wooley, turning it over three times. Mr. Wooley, his wife and two daughters, were in the house. One daughter, aged 5 years, was killed. Every bone in Mr. Wooley's left hand was broken, between the wrist and first joints of the fingers. Mr. Wooley and little girl had taken refuge in the cellar; but after the house had been moved, the wind lifted them up and landed them in the brush about five rods from the house. The last thing Mr. Wooley remembered was his trying to insert the key into the keyhole of the door. When he came to, he was about fifty feet from where his house stood, clinging to a stump. He started to assist his wife. when the wind caught him up again, and landed him in the creek, about ten rods distant. The little girl that was killed was lying on the bed at the time. asleep.

From the Mt. Vernon News the following is taken:

When first seen, probably six or seven miles away, the storm had the appearance of a long black shaft or column, shaped like an upright hour-glass, extending from a tremendously threatening cloud, which, for some time, had been hanging over the west to the ground. Hundreds watched it as it swept on its course, seemingly directly toward Mt. Vernon. It was attended with a heavy roar as of a hundred trains of cars. Branches of trees could be seen in the air, while its constant changing form and the flakes of clouds thrown from its sides showed its whirling motion. When within two miles of Mt. Vernon, while people were seeking refuge in cellars, or in some cases running wildly about the streets, it veered on its course, and passed the town in full sight--sublime, but fearful.

The History of Linn County, Iowa, Containing a History of the County, its Cities, Town, &t., a Biographical Directory of its Citizens, War Record of its Volunteers in the Late Rebellion, General and Local Statistics 1878 Read this book on line at ancestry.com

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