On March 18, 1925, the Tri-State Tornado struck southeastern Missouri, southern Illinois and southwestern Indiana, resulting in some 700 deaths. The tornado is considered the largest, longest, fastest, most destructive, most deadly U.S. tornado with 695 deaths, 2000+ injuries and a path length of 219 miles from southeast Missouri across southern Illinois into southwest Indiana.
The Eagles Hall on South 13th Street in Murphysboro, Illinois, was transformed into a hospital where the injured were cared for after the Tri-State Tornado ripped through the town on March 18, 1925. (Chicago Tribune historical photo)Minnie, left, and Rose Hawkins sit amongst the wreckage of their home in Murphysboro, Illinois, in the wake of the Tri-State Tornado, March 1925. The tornado began in Missouri on the 18th or March, and tore through Illinois and Indiana, killing almost 700 people. (Topical Press Agency/Hulton Archive)
The scene in northwestern Murphysboro after the Tri-State Tornado damaged the town on March 18, 1925, killing over 700 people. (Chicago Tribune historical photo)The ruins of the town of West Frankfort, Illinois, in the wake of the Great Tri-State Tornado in March 1925. (Topical Press Agency/Hulton Archive)The northeast section of Murphysboro, Illinois, after the Tri-State Tornado tore through Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri in March 1925. (Jackson County Historical Society)
Mrs. Barnett and her children Albert, 6, Blanche, 1, Garrett, 5, and Ralph Barnett, 3, along with their grandfather Mr. Jacobs, 86, are the first refugee family to arrive in Chicago from Murphysboro, Illinois, after the Tri-State Tornado hit the town on March 18, 1925. (Chicago Herald and Examiner)Longfellow School in Murphysboro, Illinois, after the Tri-State Tornado tore through Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri in March 1925. (Jackson County Historical Society)The Logan School in Murphysboro, Illinois, after the Tri-State Tornado tore through Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri in March 1925. (Jackson County Historical Society)
Walnut and 13th Streets in downtown Murphysboro, Illinois, after the Tri-State Tornado tore through Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri in March 1925. (Jackson County Historical Society)Walnut and 22nd Streets in Murphysboro, Illinois, after the Tri-State Tornado tore through Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri in March 1925. (Jackson County Historical Society)Inhabitants comb the wreckage of the town of Griffin, Indiana, in the wake of the tri-state tornado, March 1925. The tornado began in Missouri on the 18th March, and tore through Illinois and Indiana, killing some 700 people. (Topical Press Agency/Hulton Archive)
The DeSoto, Illinois, business district after the Tri-State Tornado tore through Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri in March 1925. (Jackson County Historical Society)
