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Historic Minnesota Tornado Changes Medical History
August 19, 2020 at 04:48 PM EDT
By WeatherBug Sr. Meteorologist, James West

On this day in 1883, a trio of deadly tornado hit rural southeastern Minnesota, causing major damage while changing medical history forever.
The first tornado, estimated to be a F3 tornado with winds of between 158 and 206 mph, developed near Pleasant Grove, Minn., a small rural town 15 miles south of Rochester, Minn. This tornado, damaged for farms along its 3-miles track, destroying one. It killed 2 and injured 10 others.
The second tornado hit near Hayfield, Minn., at 6:30 p.m., leveling at least 10 farms and derailing a train engine and six freight cars. The train fireman was killed when the engine fell on top of him during the derailment.
This second tornado continued to grow in strength, moving through northern Rochester, Minn., soon after 7 p.m. The tornado roared through the northern third of the town of 5,000 people, demolishing churches, a grocery store, and several commercial buildings including a flour mill, grain elevators and farm machinery depot. Box cars were smashed at local railroad yard and a railroad bridge was destroyed by the ferocious twister.
Leaving Rochester, the tornado moved across farm fields east of Rochester. The mile-wide tornado ripped through corn and grain fields, sweeping the clean of crop. Overall, this Rochester tornado was on the ground for 25 miles and was estimated to be a F5 tornado with winds more than 261 mph.
The main Rochester tornado killed 37 people and injured more than 200 others. The death toll is likely higher than official totals due to poor record keeping and people serious injured by the twister succumbing to their injuries in the days and weeks to follow. Total damage was estimated to be $700,000.
A third F3 tornado struck north of St. Charles, Minn., about 22 miles east of Rochester, Minn. This tornado hit several farms and granaries, killing at least one person, and injuring several others.
The widespread destruction and numerous injuries caused a medical emergency. There were only three hospitals in the state of Minnesota outside of the Minneapolis and St. Paul, area, and none of them were in Rochester. A temporary hospital was created in a downtown building, led by Doctor William Mayo, his two sons William and Charles, and Mother Mary Alfred Moes of the Sisters of St. Francis.
The doctors and the Sisters of St. Francis, realizing a need for a local hospital, formed the St. Mary’s Hospital. This hospital would eventually become the Mayo Clinic, a world-renowned hospital and a pioneer of integrated medicine and the “dossier” medical records. The clinic has locations in Rochester, Minn., as well as Arizona and Florida, employs nearly 70,000 people and sees 1.2 million patients a year.
The first tornado, estimated to be a F3 tornado with winds of between 158 and 206 mph, developed near Pleasant Grove, Minn., a small rural town 15 miles south of Rochester, Minn. This tornado, damaged for farms along its 3-miles track, destroying one. It killed 2 and injured 10 others.
The second tornado hit near Hayfield, Minn., at 6:30 p.m., leveling at least 10 farms and derailing a train engine and six freight cars. The train fireman was killed when the engine fell on top of him during the derailment.
This second tornado continued to grow in strength, moving through northern Rochester, Minn., soon after 7 p.m. The tornado roared through the northern third of the town of 5,000 people, demolishing churches, a grocery store, and several commercial buildings including a flour mill, grain elevators and farm machinery depot. Box cars were smashed at local railroad yard and a railroad bridge was destroyed by the ferocious twister.
Leaving Rochester, the tornado moved across farm fields east of Rochester. The mile-wide tornado ripped through corn and grain fields, sweeping the clean of crop. Overall, this Rochester tornado was on the ground for 25 miles and was estimated to be a F5 tornado with winds more than 261 mph.
The main Rochester tornado killed 37 people and injured more than 200 others. The death toll is likely higher than official totals due to poor record keeping and people serious injured by the twister succumbing to their injuries in the days and weeks to follow. Total damage was estimated to be $700,000.
A third F3 tornado struck north of St. Charles, Minn., about 22 miles east of Rochester, Minn. This tornado hit several farms and granaries, killing at least one person, and injuring several others.
The widespread destruction and numerous injuries caused a medical emergency. There were only three hospitals in the state of Minnesota outside of the Minneapolis and St. Paul, area, and none of them were in Rochester. A temporary hospital was created in a downtown building, led by Doctor William Mayo, his two sons William and Charles, and Mother Mary Alfred Moes of the Sisters of St. Francis.
The doctors and the Sisters of St. Francis, realizing a need for a local hospital, formed the St. Mary’s Hospital. This hospital would eventually become the Mayo Clinic, a world-renowned hospital and a pioneer of integrated medicine and the “dossier” medical records. The clinic has locations in Rochester, Minn., as well as Arizona and Florida, employs nearly 70,000 people and sees 1.2 million patients a year.