Kilburn Stereoview #11350 East St. Louis, IL. Tornado damage 1896

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Kilburn Stereoview #11350 East St. Louis, IL. Tornado damage 1896:
$7.99

CORNERSTONE BOOKS AND ANTIQUES
CANTON, GA
PRESENTS
Stereoview from the EAST ST. LOUIS, ILLINOIS TORNADO OF 1896, produced by the B. W. Kilburn company of Littleton, N. H. in a series of views of the Tornado damage. The stereoview is listed as No. 11350 \"We have much to be thankful for.\" Two men standing in front of a destroyed buildings in a city street. The back is the typical Kilburn back. The tornados affected St. Louis MO and across the Mississippi River to East St. Louis, IL. One of the worst tornadoes in the history of the USACopyrighted 1896 The Great Cyclone of 1896 20 minutes of terror|255 Killed|Lafayette Park in ruins

Just after 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 27, 1896, the thick, low clouds hanging over St. Louis began to swirl ominously and turn a greenish hue. The barometer dropped quickly, and rain began to fall in large droplets as people quickly rushed to take cover. Within moments, a tornado of tremendous proportions swept a wide path through St. Louis and crossed the Mississippi River into East St. Louis. The tornado, known as the Great Cyclone, cut a ten-mile swath of destruction that completely destroyed 311 buildings, heavily damaged 7,200 more and caused substantial harm to yet another 1,300. In a mere twenty minutes, 255 people were killed.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that \"all over the city, bells were tolling for the dead.\" The Great Cyclone remains the single deadliest incident in St. Louis history.

Immediately after the storm clouds cleared, photographers from St. Louis, Chicago, and other cities rushed to the area with cameras in hand to document the destruction. Several studios published paperback booklets with photographs illustrating the carnage left in the wake of the 1896 tornado which served as souvenirs of the event. Numerous examples of these are preserved in the Special Collections Department of Central Library and form the basis of this exhibit.

In the Press

View some examples of the published pictures and accounts of the tornado.

Lafayette Square

The Lafayette Square neighborhood took a direct hit from the powerful tornado.

Residential

See the damage caused to St. Louis\' residential areas.

Businesses

Many businesses along Jefferson Avenue and South Broadway were devastated by the tornado.

Streetcars and Such

Rail transportation was severly affected by the Great Cyclone.

Churches

The ruins of many destroyed churches were documented by local photographers.

Institutions

Hospitals, schools, gymnasiums and other city institutions were greatly affected.

Frankenfield\'s Pamphlet

The U. S. Weather Bureau produced this pamphlet shortly after the tornado.

Tornado Recollections

The Transit News solicited recollections (in 1931) of the tornado.

1927 Tornado

View photos of the 1927 tornado that damaged St. Louis.

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