A young child and a dog sit in the rubble after the Tri-State Tornado ripped through Murphysboro, Illinois and the surrounding area on March 18, 1925. The tornado left 695 people dead and more than 2,000 injured. (Chicago Herald and Examiner)
Vintage: The Tri-State Tornado ravaged Illinois in 1925, killing roughly 700 people
On March 18, 1925, the Tri-State Tornado struck southeastern Missouri, southern Illinois and southwestern Indiana, resulting in some 700 deaths. The tornado is considered the largest, longest, fastest, most destructive, most deadly U.S. tornado with 695 deaths, 2000+ injuries and a path length of 219 miles from southeast Missouri across southern Illinois into southwest Indiana.
The Eagles Hall on South 13th Street in Murphysboro, Illinois, was transformed into a hospital where the injured were cared for after the Tri-State Tornado ripped through the town on March 18, 1925. Almost 700 people died in the destruction, and 2,000 people injured. (Chicago Tribune historical photo)Minnie, left, and Rose Hawkins sit amongst the wreckage of their home in Murphysboro, Illinois, in the wake of the Tri-State Tornado, March 1925. The tornado began in Missouri on the 18th or March, and tore through Illinois and Indiana, killing almost 700 people. (Topical Press Agency/Hulton Archive)
The scene in northwestern Murphysboro after the Tri-State Tornado damaged the town on March 18, 1925, killing over 700 people. The storm took out 40% of the city of Murphysboro, 97 miles southeast of St. Louis. Its 234 deaths were the most of any municipality, with entire neighborhoods flattened. (Chicago Tribune historical photo)The ruins of the town of West Frankfort, Illinois, where 148 people were killed, in the wake of the Great Tri-State Tornado in March 1925. Modern standards qualify the so-called Tri-State Tornado as an F5, a mile-wide funnel with wind speeds greater than 260 mph (418 kph). (Topical Press Agency/Hulton Archive)The northeast section of Murphysboro, Illinois, after the Tri-State Tornado tore through Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri in March 1925. (Jackson County Historical Society)
Mrs. Barnett and her children Albert, 6, Blanche, 1, Garrett, 5, and Ralph Barnett, 3, along with their grandfather Mr. Jacobs, 86, are the first refugee family to arrive in Chicago from Murphysboro, Illinois, after the Tri-State Tornado hit the town on March 18, 1925. (Chicago Herald and Examiner)Longfellow School in Murphysboro, Illinois, after the Tri-State Tornado tore through Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri in March 1925. (Jackson County Historical Society)The Logan School in Murphysboro, Illinois, after the Tri-State Tornado tore through Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri in March 1925. (Jackson County Historical Society)
Walnut and 13th Streets in downtown Murphysboro, Illinois, after the Tri-State Tornado tore through Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri in March 1925. (Jackson County Historical Society)Walnut and 22nd Streets in Murphysboro, Illinois, after the Tri-State Tornado tore through Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri in March 1925. (Jackson County Historical Society)Inhabitants comb the wreckage of the town of Griffin, Indiana, in the wake of the tri-state tornado, March 1925. The tornado began in Missouri on the 18th March, and tore through Illinois and Indiana, killing some 700 people. (Topical Press Agency/Hulton Archive)
The DeSoto, Illinois, business district after the Tri-State Tornado tore through Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri in March 1925. Sixty-nine people were killed in DeSoto, Illinois. (Jackson County Historical Society)
