The McCook tornado of 1928

Eighty years ago this summer, McCook was struck with the worst tornado in the history of Southwest Nebraska. To mark this anniversary the High Plains Museum, in the 400 block on Norris Avenue, McCook, is hosting a special exhibit of photographs, memorabilia, and eye witness accounts of the tornado. Visitors are invited to visit the museum to share family stories of the 1928 tornado, and bring items associated with the tornado for display, to add to the historical record of that event.

Harold Larmon, of McCook was a lad of five on the night of June 11, 1928. He had attended the movies with his parents and was annoyed when the movie stopped abruptly and everyone was instructed to leave the theater as quickly as possible. When he got outside he remembers that it had rained, but was now uncommonly still, and he was surprised to see a man come running up to the theater with the message that the Northwest part of McCook had been destroyed. "Terrible, terrible," the man repeated over and over.

School Superintendent J.A. True was returning to McCook from a trip to Lincoln, with his wife and son, Mark. As he approached the city he could see the storm developing, and gave a graphic account of the event. "We noticed the clouds when we were a good many miles east of town. They appeared as ordinary rain clouds." As the Trues neared Red Willow the clouds became darker. From those dark clouds four distinct funnels formed, hanging directly over McCook. Three of the funnels appeared to move swiftly toward the ground, the fourth trailing at an angle away from McCook."

With no early warning system in place, people were ill-prepared for such an emergency. At about 8:15 in the evening the storm touched down in McCook. Starting on the west side of McCook, the twister mowed a path five to six blocks wide beginning with the 700 block of West 4th St. and demolished many houses all the way to the canyon at the city's north edge. In some blocks the destruction was virtually complete. It was estimated that 1,000 people were made homeless from the storm. Trees were uprooted and dashed against houses. Dozens of automobiles were strewn around the streets as if they were toys.

Lights were improvised as darkness descended, and systematic searches of damaged homes began almost immediately. The injured were transported to St. Catherine's Hospital. Though the hospital was located in the northwest part of the city and very close to the path of the tornado, it escaped major damage, while houses located beside the hospital were torn away. Only the roof of the hospital's west wing was damaged. The first floor of the hospital was turned into an emergency station. Numbers of the injured coming into the hospital were such that couches had to be set up in the halls for the less severely injured.

As in any tragedy there were numerous stories of heroic deeds that night. The Police and Fire Departments were joined by the American Legion, Boy Scouts and dozens of volunteers, who came forward to offer aid and assistance to the victims. By 11 p.m. Police Chief, George Traphagen reported that everyone was accounted for.

The Elks Club joined the Red Cross and Salvation Army in setting up immediate (tent) shelters for the homeless, and later led a drive to provide financial relief for those who needed it. Insurance adjustments were made quickly, with a minimum of hassle. It was determined later that only one destroyed home was not covered by insurance.

The tornado was later shown to cover a wide swath from Atwood to Elwood, a distance of some 120 miles. In a storm of this magnitude it is remarkable that there was not widespread loss of life. In McCook two people were listed in critical condition -- Mrs. Grace Vernon, who was crushed when doors and windows crashed into her house. Her brother, Earl, who was also injured, carried her to the hospital. The other victim was James McDonald, of Hastings, who was crushed in a falling house.

While casualties were few, there were a good many close calls. Seven musicians, traveling to another town for a dance engagement were injured when their automobile was picked up and slammed into a dirt embankment beside the highway.

George Anderson, of 1001 W. 3rd, saw the storm and had barely time to grab his wife and baby. The two adults dropped to the floor, the baby beneath them. Their house was torn away and Mr. and Mrs. Anderson were covered with debris and sustained deep bruises, but the child was uninjured.

In another home a baby was asleep in its crib when bricks from a chimney were blown in through a window, littering the room around the baby's crib. The baby was not harmed.

R.V. Cadman, a railroad dispatcher, got word from Ludell by telegraph that a storm was approaching, just before the line went dead. He was able to phone his children, who were home alone. The children took to the basement just as the tornado lifted their house from its foundation. The children were unhurt.

Along with the stories of heroism and community aid for the homeless, there were also stories of another kind. Ray Search of McCook told of rushing to check on a friend, the widow Philipi, in the 1000 block of West 2nd St. He arrived just minutes after the storm had hit the Philipi home. He found that the home was badly damaged and Mrs. Philipi had been hit by flying bricks, but was resting comfortably at a home of friends. He also found that the home had already been ransacked by looters. Drawers throughout the home had been opened, the contents strewn across the floor. Heirlooms had been stolen and Mrs. Philipi's purse was gone.

Looting proved to be a real problem throughout the storm damaged area , and volunteer guards were assigned to patrol the northwest part of the city for several days and nights, to prevent even more loss of personal possessions -- until property owners had a chance to inspect their property, retrieve belongings, and begin reconstruction.

True to the pioneer spirit, which has marked McCook from its beginning, and is still much in evidence to the present day, cleanup and rebuilding began immediately. By the next morning a small army of volunteers had begun the clearing of debris and had begun repair work on the homes that could be salvaged. By Friday telephone and electrical service had been restored to the storm ravaged area. Within one year all of the homes damaged and destroyed by the tornado had been rebuilt, trees had been replanted, and McCook was once more a growing and prospering place to live. But it is safe to say, that for the people who lived through the tornado, the memory of that night in June stayed with them as long as they lived.

Source: McCook Gazette Centennial edition, 1882-1982.