Mankato and Wells, Minnesota Tornado

August 17, 1946

Wells Citizens Digging Out After $2 Million Tornado

Martial Law Ends At 4 p. m. Today

“Business as Usual” signs were appearing on the boarded-up fronts of Wells store buildings this morning, but everyone knew it would still be a long time before anything could be “as usual” in Wells – the 2,400 population town that took the brunt of one of the most damaging tornadoes to visit this section of the state in recent years.

Wells will be released from martial law at 4 o'clock this afternoon, it was announced. State Guard units from Albert Lea, Austin, Fairmont and Jackson have been on duty since early Sunday morning. They have been quartered at the high school.

Checking up on the tornado score this morning, Mayor GLEN UGGEN said that a total of 125 residences and business buildings over an area of 23 city blocks had been wrecked by Saturday evening's storm.

Mayor UGGEN estimated total damage at $1,500,000. MANVILLE ORAN, former mayor, placed the figure at $2,500,000.

This morning, it was said that 75 percent of the town had been reconnected for electricity and that by nightfall it would be 90 percent. However, the power will not be turned on again until tomorrow sometime. It was turned off just as the storm struck Saturday night by ELWIN HICKS and FRED LEIBER – the latter being the plant manager. By shitting off the power, it is believed numerous fires were prevented.

Today the work of clearing away the wreckage continued, with large crews or farmers on hand to help. Many farmers brought their tractors to help “push and pull.” Neighboring towns also sent help. Blue Earth sent its entire street department and equipment. All of Faribault county's highway construction and maintenance equipment was put at the disposal of Wells officials.

Grocery stores were operating today on a more nearly normal basis than any others. The city water and sewer systems were working all right.

Path of Tornado
Saturday night's tornado cut a 200-yard path diagonally through Wells, starting near the CHRIS WEBBER farm a mile to the west and vanishing on the other side of town where it destroyed the new garage of JOSEPH ERB, damaged the Anderson Lumber and Franks Elevator buildings.

At the WEBBER farm the tornado wrecked a barn and other outbuildings, it moved on to the “Spindletop” section where two or three houses were demolished. Then it skipped to the Lincoln avenue area where it tore large sections of the roof from St. Casimir's Catholic church, damaged the nearby Priest's house and parochial school. Huge trees in the Lincoln and Washington avenue areas were blown down, thrown across streets and against homes.

The storm moved relentlessly forward to the heart of the business section, wrecking stores, cars and windows with great abandon, filling the streets with wreckage.
Then it made its exit by way of the Musser buildings the nearby lumber sheds and the Franks Brothers elevator.

Fifty at Church Service
About fifty persons were present at a confessional service in St. Casimir's church when the storm struck. One of them said later as the tornado approached “nobody said anything, but everybody made for the basement.” When they returned to the auditorium of the church a few minutes later they found two large sections of the roof and some smaller ones missing. The floor and pews were strewn with bits of plaster, broken glass, bricks and shattered wood.

The largest assemblage in the path of the tornado was that at the State theater where about 200 persons were gathered. It was here that Patrolman GORDON DANKS and WILLIAM HEATH, theater manager, succeeded in keeping the crowd calm when the roof over the stage suddenly lifted and vanished. The two men prevented theater patrons from rushing into the street which was then filled with flying debris.

Storm Struck at 8 P. M.
The tornado hit Wells just a few minutes before 8 o'clock, or about an hour after a similar tornado had killed seven and injured many others at a tourist camp near Mankato.

Saturday night is shopping night at Wells, stores were open and there were crowds in the streets. It was believed that the hail and rain which tell shortly before the tornado struck saved the lives of many shoppers.

The hail had begun about 7:40 p. m., it was recalled. The stones that fell were few, but they were large. They drove people off the street and out of parked cars. The shoppers sought refuge inside the stores, and the rain, which immediately followed the hail kept them there. Then, it seemed, during the eerie moments before the tornado struck, everybody instinctively ducked for cellars and basements.

Said one Wells man afterwards, “A lot of us were sure glad we hadn't built ourselves and of these new fangled houses without basements.”

Store Buildings Wrecked
Damaged probably beyond repair was the 100 x 150 K. of C. building at Broadway and Market street. The entire roof of the two story brick structure was blown away, the west and north walls lost large sections. The building houses the De Luxe cafe on the Market street side, and the Weide drug store, Schutte hardware, Segar bakery and J. C. Penney & Co., fronting on Broadway. All of the display windows were wrecked, and goods and furnishings inside the stores were damaged. On its second floor the K. of C. building housed offices, a dance hall and apartments. The dance hall was not being used Saturday. No body was hurt in the apartments. The offices were left roofless and without walls, and contents were no doubt strewn far and wide.

Another important downtown building that is perhaps a total loss is the Oran building one block to the north. It housed several stores with apartments upstairs. In that building JEAN WILSON, daughter of MR. And MRS. HAROLD WILSON, was holding a birthday party, but neither she nor any of her eight guests was hurt. Others who miraculously escaped injury there were MRS. EFFIE WOLVERTON, MRS. ETHEL SOAVIN, MR. And MRS. LEO DUMBROSKI and their 2 year-old daughter, also MRS. ARLENE HANSON and her 2 year-old son.

The Commercial, Leland and Wells hotels all suffered extensive damage, but no occupants were hurt. Totally destroyed were the Jacobson implement shop and Shultz oil station. The front wall of the Anderson Vulcanizing shop was hurled into the street, bricks and masonry battering parked cars. The Hanson paint shop was a total wreck, as is Edna's beauty shop.

When the north wall of the K. of C. building toppled into Market street it fell on a row of five or six parked cars which were smashed under the great weight. Immediately after the storm had passed workmen began digging in this debris to determine whether anyone had been seated in the cars. “All we found was some groceries,” said ALEX LARSON, chief of the Albert Lea fire department, who with several of his men aided in the work.

The Fairmont Electric company was on the ground early with its repair equipment doing the good neighbor act, setting new poles to replace those twisted off or smashed, and stringing new wires.

The four national guard companies were supplied with cots, blankets and provisions from Camp Ripley. The supplies arrived in four trucks.

Insurance adjusters were at work early Monday morning. Among them were F. F. WENNER, who also represents the Wells Building and Loan association, D. A. TYSON, Mankato, and J. JOHN CHRISTENSON, Albert Lea.

The city of Blue Earth sent its street equipment, including trucks, a street sweeper and other pieces with men to operate them.

The large brick high school building, directly in the path of the tornado, was practically uninjured, though large trees surrounding it were twisted off or uprooted.
The Catholic church and parochial school, in the path of the storm, were seriously damaged, and lost numerous fine trees.

List of Injured
The following persons injured in Wells tornado Saturday evening, were treated at Naeve hospital.
MRS. BERT OLSON, Wells, laceration on right leg between knee and ankle. Released.
MISS CECILIA BANASHAK, 17, employed at Tax Collector's office, St. Paul, suffering from shock, possizle [sic] back injuries, broken collar bone, abrasions and contusion over entire body. Still at hospital.
ORLANDO HAWORTH, 74, Wells, injured hand. Released.
H. ROLLIE BRUNSON, 68, Wells, X-ray taken of left shoulder injured when tree fell on car in which he was seated.
ALFRED MEYER, 44, Walters truck driver. Compound fracture of both legs. Still in hospital.

OTHERS INJURED
At his office on Broadway, Dr. W. H. BARR, Wells physician, treated 25 to 30 persons Saturday night for minor injuries. He worked by the light of a gasoline lantern. Dr. O. R. BUTURF of Freeborn also gave first aid to many with minor injuries.

Among persons known to have received injuries, but not treated at Naeve hospital, were these:
WILLIAM HORIAN, Wells attorney, lacerations.

RAYMOND RENTZ, 22, Wells drug store clerk, overcome by fumes and revived by artificial respiration.

MRS. DONALD SCHREIBER, 22, and daughter, DIANA, 2, both of whom were badly bruised and shaken up when carried away in house lifted from foundations by tornado.

The Evening Tribune Albert Lea, Minnesota 1946-08-19

Mankato Hit By Twister

7 Are Killed, 75 Injured; Storm Preceded By Rain, Hailstorm; Farms Damaged.

MANKATO, Minn., Aug. 19 – (AP) – Roaring out of the west with the din of a speeding freight train, a tornado Saturday night wreaked death and devastation on a tourist camp area near Mankato and seven persons died and more than 75 were injured.

The fatalities all occurred in or near the Green Gables tourist camp three miles southwest of Mankato where one tornado striking at 6:45 p. m. spent most of its fury. All 22 cabins were ripped out with little left to mark the area except building foundations.

More than 50 of the injured were occupants of the cabins or were driving automobiles on highway 169 nearby.

Honeymoon Ended
GERALD NURRE of Bancroft, Iowa, one of three persons killed in the Green Gables camp, was honeymooning with his wife of but a few hours. They had been married Saturday morning. MRS. NURRE was injured.

The body of RONALD J.. WIRIG, 44, of Mankato, was found a half mile from the cabin area. He left Mankato in an automobile and it was not determined whether he was at the cabin site.

Four thousand turkeys on the MELVIN ranch were destroyed.

When reports of the devastation reached Mankato all available vehicles were dispatched to Green Gables. Hearses, taxicabs, trucks, and even a bread truck were used to carry the many injured to hospitals.

Lasted “Couple Minutes”

Witnesses said the twister, preceded by rain and large hail stones, was over in a “couple of minutes,” but the destruction was complete. The few trees left standing were reduced to mere poles. Automobiles parked in the area were swept away, several of them being piled into a 30 foot cut of the Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Paul and Omaha track, about 50 yards away.

The powerful wind lifted a 27 ton road grader and toppled it into the railway gorge, and with the wrecked automobiles blocked traffic on the line for several hours. A freight train, flagged down, came to a stop a block from the debris.

National Guard units were posted in the Green Gables area and Sunday passes were issued to cabin residents to permit them to return to the area to search for lost belongings. North of Mankato several barns and other farm buildings were wrecked as the funnel made a dip before disappearing.

The Evening Tribune Albert Lea, Minnesota 1946-08-19

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Articles submitted & transcribed by Stu Beitler  Thank you, Stu!

On August 17, 1946, about an hour apart, tornadoes slashed through the cities of Mankato and North Mankato (5:40PM) leaving 11 dead and 60 injured, and Wells (6:50PM) where some 200 persons were injured.

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