The New Richmond, Wisconsin Tornado

The tornado that hit New Richmond, Wisconsin on June 12th of 1899 actually started out as a waterspout that formed over Lake St. Croix. From there, it headed east in the direction of New Richmond and produced winds so strong that they carried a 3000-pound safe for an entire city block before dropping it again. The amount of flying debris was massive and, coupled with the wind, destroyed or damaged over 300 buildings.

The tornado struck on the opening day of the Gollmar Brother Circus which brought a large population swell into the small town in anticipation of the festivities that would be seen there. Just after the circus had ended for that day, at approximately 5:40 p.m., the tornado moved through the very center of town, leveling a strip of town that was 1000 feet wide and 3000 feet long. In addition, 26 different families had multiple deaths within them.

One hundred seventeen people were killed in the New Richmond tornado and 150 more people were injured. The tornado was not massive, but the path that it took and the unfortunate timing that it had made it especially destructive, as did its strong winds and F5 rating. The tornado caused $600,000 worth of damage at that time, which would be over $14 million in today’s dollars