Did An Undocumented Tornado Kill 98 People on Lake Pepin, MN in 1890?

[Russell Jones]

I found a scrapbook kept by my Maternal Grandmother while cleaning out my mom's house. Pasted in the scrapbook was an undated article from the Minneapolis Tribune with the year "1890" written on top. (See Attached) My Maternal Grandmother grew up in Reads Landing, MN.

Based on the year my grandmother wrote the article would have appeared in a 1955 edition of the newspaper. I checked my copy of Thomas P. Grazulis' "Significant Tornadoes: 1680-1991" and did NOT find any reference to this weather event. The death of 98 people surely would have made it into his publication if it were documented as a tornado.

I think more research should be done into this historical weather event.

 

[Russell Jones]

UPDATE. I sent a copy of the newspaper article and email to Tom Grazulis, and he wrote me back saying he is going to take a deeper look into this historical event! Stay tuned.....

 

[Diane Bianchi]

I live in this area and there is a lot of information regarding that day at the Goodhue County Historical Society in the city of Red Wing. It is not clear if a tornado caused this tragic event on July 13, 1890, but some say it was. It was a hot and humid day, a day trip of mostly Red Wing people on the steamboat Sea Wing taking a pleasure trip to Lake City, just down river about 15 miles on the Mississippi River. What was described as the storm came through after the steamboat left Lake City to travel back upriver was a black and ominous storm with high winds that capsized the boat. Ninety-eight people died, mostly women and children who drowned.

There were many funerals in the coming days, and there was also a large memorial service in the city park. I also read a newspaper article written just a few days after the tragedy that there had been a tornado in the area IIRC just south of St. Paul, which is upriver of Red Wing by about 45 miles. I have a friend who rented a room from an elderly lady in the early 1970s who lost two older sisters in that accident when she was a little girl. The lady said she remembers two men coming to the house, and then her mother crying uncontrollably. If you do a google search for Sea Wing Disaster, you will see photos of the recovery in the capsized Sea Wing. See these for more information:Sea Wing Disaster, 1890 | MNopedia and Sea Wing disaster - Wikipedia