The Tornado of 1925

Southern Missouri
Hurdled the Mississippi
Tearing Indiana and Illinois
In
Three
Hours

Followed the path of a slight ridge home
to small mining towns
completely destroyed
Murphysboro, suffered heavy damage

A group of men
working in mines
500 feet below Illinois.
unaware until the electricity went out.

They climbed out
through a shaft
reached the surface
men found their homes
their family members
heavily damaged

700 killed
2,000 injured
Claude Wisely's greenhouse
lost everything.
Florists sent flowers to the railroad
for the funerals to hold.


Started as:
The Tornado of 1925 began in southern Missouri and hurdled the Mississippi River, tearing through Indiana and Illinois in three hours. The tornado followed the path of a slight ridge, home to several small mining towns. Many of these towns were completely destroyed, and others, like Murphysboro, suffered heavy damages.
A group of men were working in the mines 500 feet below the town of West Frankfort, Illinois. They were unaware of anything unusual on the surface, until the electricity went out. Then they climbed out of the mines through a shaft, and when they reached the surface, the men found their homes heavily damaged or totally destroyed, many of their family members missing.
Nearly 700 people were killed in the tornado, and another 2,000 were injured. Claude Wisely, owner of Murphysboro's greenhouse, lost everything. Florists from across the region sent flowers to Murphysboro by the trainload for all the funerals the small town was to hold.