The "Big Brick" co-op building was rebuilt after suffering this much devastation in the storm of 1924

This item contains a photograph and text that did not appear in the issue of the True Dakotan — happy historical reading!

Mrs. Pearl Krog was good enough to loan us these photographs of the devastation caused by what was described as a “tornadic storm” in the Wessington Springs Independent of the day.

The following item was taken from the Internet: From the Wessington Springs

This picture of the debris after the storm of 1924 was not published in the True Dakotan, it is exclusive to the truedakotan.com website.

Independent – June 19, 1924 A violent tornadic storm, leaving immense destruction in its wake, visited Wessington Springs and vicinity Saturday evening June 14, (1924) beginning at about 7 o’clock. the terrific wind continuing for thirty seven minutes, during which time almost every building in the city was damaged to some extent, several being battered and torn beyond all possiblity of repair. A blinding deluge of rain, a terrific and unfaceable wind, the creaking, groaning and moving of buildings, and masses of flying timbers from broken structures, filled the citizens with intense and unconrollable fear. Women fainted and men were terrified. Mothers siezed their babies and fled from their crumbling homes in the teeth of the powerful tornado only to be thrust into a ditch or hollow place. The great wonder is that many were not struck to instant death by flying debris with which the air was filled during height of the storm and with which the streets were filled after the tornado had passed on. Among the buildings totally or nearly destroyed in town are the: Catholic church; Big Brick of the Jerauld County Farmers Union; Farmers Elevator; Jerauld County Milling Company grain storage bin; Howard C Thompson residence known as the Mc Connell brick mansion; Wm. Zink and Son huge machinery warehouse; White Eagle Oil Company offices; Mrs Bingham’s residence; Road machinery shed of Jerauld county; A majority of the garages, barns and smaller buildings in the city. The elevator of the Wessington Springs Grain company was moved two inches. The entire roof of the Sickler building, occupied by L N Nesselroad’s plant and seed store caved in and Mr Nesselroad had a narrow escape. Valentine’s furniture store front blew in, also Habicht’s , the m and H store, C H Hyde’s, Buehrig and Masons’, Wm. Zink and Sons, Harpole’s barber shop, Odd Fellow’s building, Jerauld County Bank, Cook and Eggleston’s, the Winter grocery occupied by W F Yegge and others. The chimney blew from the J W Mills jewelry store falling through the roof of the Idle Hour next door. The Dakota Cafe roof and the buck’s Pharmacy roof were torn off. The rear wall of the Economic Repair Shop blew out when the front door collapsed. The Hayes Lucas, C L Colman and Fullerton Lumber Companies suffered severe loses to sheds, office buldings and lumber stock. The roof of the high school building was severely damaged and many residence roofs were partly torn off. E. E. Theurer’s buildings, the Ausman and Wallace offices, Dunn’s Grocery, Short’s Notion Store and others were badly damaged. The brickwork on the front of the Best Wood Republican block was blown down on the roof. Victor Wade, mail carrier on route number six, was caught out, the wind forcing his car from the road near the E B Orr place west of town, where pracically everything was wrecked. He sustained several injuries ftom flying timbers. One eye was cut and his shoulder was severely hurt with possibly a broken bone. Chris Kruger was caught out driving a truck, also Gus Dennler, both of whom escaped injuries. Mr and Mrs Norris Williams, accompanied by Nick Anton and Miss Blanche Jobe, were caught in the storm near Nichols Lake southwest of here. The top was born from Mr Williams’ Willys Knight car, but the party escaped with nothing but a severe drenching. Ed Housner of south of town was struck above the eye by flying timbers and two stitches were necessary to close the wound. Weaver Scandrett has two ribs broken. Mrs Joe King suffered a fractured bone and a sprained ankle inthe storm. F P Guldhammer has a broken collar bone and some bruises. The Gibbs family west of here, left their house fearing it would fall and the wind and water swept them for roads to the roadside but only minor bruises resulted. Walt Grieves and wife were attending to poultry when the height of the storm was reached and a flying board stunned Mr Grieves, throwing him face down into a pool of water. He would have drowned had not Mrs Grieves held his head up during the fury of the storm until he regained consciousness. Kenneth Turner and family tried to leave their house when it threatened to leave its foundation. They were unable to open a door, so badly was the building twisted. A window was knoced out and Mr and Mrs Turner, carrying their two babies, succeeded in getting to the George Turner home across the road, but with much difficulty and danger, timbers flying everywhere from the wreckage of the neighborhood. Mrs I Stolen and children of southwest hid during the storm and were lost until Sunday. Mrs Stolen had been rendered unconscious by a blow. They were found huddled behind the furniture in the home. One of the Stolen children, a little girl seven years of age, was seriously hurt. A flying missle struck her over the eye, cutting a deep gash and causing her mind to be somewhat unbalanced. Mrs Stolen is suffering from bruises and exposure. Will Scandrett and wife endeavored to get to their cave near their house, four miles southwest of here. Will carried the elder baby safely and returned toward the house to meet and assist Mrs. Scandrett who carried the younger baby. All three were swept off their feet and driven a half mile in the drenching tornado and the litlte one’s life was endangerd by the chill. All were coming out of it alright. Mrs J W Mills was in the Dunn Grocery and a falling icebox prevented her from getting to the basement. She was alone and terrified but escaped injury. The Dakota Cafe was the scene of much excitement during the storm, over eighty people being in the building and every table and lunch counter space was occupied for supper. Wreckage struck the rear windows and the wind blew pots and pans from the stove where Leo Tracy was cooking. He stayed by and fought fire by pouring water on live embers that leaped from the range or the building would have burned. The incoming passenger train, due to arrive here at 7;40 was stalled between here and Lane. Unable to move an inch with a full head of steam, the brakes were set tightly until the fury of the storm abated. After considerable clearing of the tracks which were littered with fallen trees and wreckage from buildings, it pulled in. Starting out on the highway west, Hubert DeJong’s, Dill’s and Tom Schryock’s places are pitiful scenes compared to the neat and confortable farm homes of previous to Saturday evening. Nothing is left standing of the Schubert schoolhouse except bits of scatteredlumber. Robert Hodgeson’s barn is noticeably mising in glancing south fromthe highway, while Charles Hodgson’s nearer the road, appears to have withstood the storm enough to remain standing. In the valley protected by hills on three sides, the Anton Schubert place seems to be in fair shape compared with near neighbors. The Amos Gotwals farm occupied by John Crippen is a bad wreck. A truck is seen in a plowed field north of the highway which was occupied by Tom Hougland and Iver Fagerhaug when the storm hit and they seem to have escaped serious injury. Art Beers, accompanied by Frankie Whitney, were fishing Saturday and were caught in the storm. They were unable to proceed home until after the storm adnd on arriving, Mr Beers found ruins where a few hours before stood his substantial buildings that housed his farm equipment and live stock. George Fink’s and Kallis’s barns are leveled. All the huges barns and outbuildings on the Bert Orr place are as kindling wood and the house, though standing, is badly damaged. Turning north here, ruin greets the eye on the Gibbs farm with several dead horses to add devastion to the scene. The A R McConnell place is a wreck and the supply tank and windmill at Hope Cemetery are destroyed. Harry Thompson’s barn is badly wrecked but standing. Both his and Hooper’s across the road are fair in appearance compared with others near. Lynn Fee’s barn is a wreck.The old Templeton blacksmith shop is leveled but the Parmely store nearby stands. Mr Parmely’s residence is badly damaged and the barn is wrecked. The Hemmelman and Spear places southwest of here are almost completely wrecked. Not only are all the outbuildings leveled but the entire south roof of each house is gone, exposing the entire second floor to the weather. At the Will Fry place the roof of the big barn seems to have been blown up and turned over, landing in the middle of the rest of the barn wreckage. John Thormahlen’s was a severe loss. His barn, hog house, huge machine shed and blacksmith shop are gone completely. The top of his new autombile wa taken but the body is not damaged. Two cows and thirty head of hogs are dead. His neighbor’s losses are similar,the destruction being general throughout Media and Pleasant townships. C H Hyde lsot a new Willys Knight car when his residence garage blew away, landing in Barr’s Gulch south of the court house. An old truck standing outside was unhurt. E V Fuston had a narow escape from falling bricks at the Howard C Thompson residence where he was when the storm hit. He saved his car however by having it there as the garage stood through the storm. His own garage was wrecked. Henry Anderson’s garage was blown away, leaving his car undamaged. At the Chas. Schuettpelz farm, south of town, a pitchfork tine wa driven through a 2 by 4 and the tine was not bent a particle, so great was the force. At the Viola high school a 2 by 4 was driven into the ground by the wind to an estimated depth of 2 and a half feet. L N Neselroad has moved what he could save of his stock ofplants and seeds to the former Hemmelman bargber shop in the E E Theurer building. Mr Nesselroad had a close call when the roof of the Sickler building which he occupied,caved in during Saturday’s storm. He stood in the front doorway watching the storm, walking out there just a few minutes before the collapse. Daily newspaper reports of the death of a Mr H G Thompson of Crow Lake, this county, are wrong and are confused with the actual death of Joe Thompson, a farmer of the country between Crow Lake and White Lake, who was a victim of the storm. H G Thomas lives near Crow Lake but he is unhurt. Mrs William Peck was killed during the storm at Fort Thompson, west of here.She was carrying a small baby and it suffered severe injuries but lives. Mrs Peck is a sister in law of James Peck of this city. The damage done by the recent tornado to the high school building is estimated at $1,500., mostly in damage to the roof and windows.There was no tornado insurance.