Various Towns, MI Deadly Tornado, May 1896

THE MICHIGAN CYCLONE.

GREAT LOSS OF LIFE AND PROPERTY REPORTED.

OAKWOOD PRACTICALLY SWEPT FROM THE EARTH -- DESTRUCTION NEAR ORTONVILLE -- SECTION OF MT. CLEMENS BLOWS AWAY.

Oxford, Mich., May 26. -- It was 7 o'clock last evening when this district was swept by a cyclone. The first point touched, so far as the news reaches here, was half a mile north of the beautiful village of Ortonville. The storm came with the velocity of a cannon ball and never swerved from its course until it had nearly swept from the face of the landscape the quiet village of Oakwood.
The cyclone moved along the six mile road from Ortonville to Oakwood, swerving neither to right nor left. In one house, seven persons were crushed to death and in others, two, three or four occupants met a like fate. Orchards were left without a tree standing.
At Oakwood the list of dead is as follows:
MRS. N. B. WOODFENDEN.
MRS. MINA DOWALL.
MRS. WELLS.
EUGENIA FIFIELD.
JESSIE FIFIELD.
ED FIFIELD.
At the intersection of the main road, where a lane led to the village of Thomas, the cyclone paused, left the straight line and swerved off toward the village three-quarters of a mile away. On its way, it demolished the farmhouse and barns of MR. COPERMAN. MRS. COPERMAN was buried in a pile of rubbish. She is probably fatally injured.
The dead at Thomas number sever as follows:
JOHN HICKS.
REV. C. M. PRETCHYPLACE.
ANDREW PETTIBONE.
FRANK LAIDLAW.
MRS. OSCAR SLATE.
TOM BISHOP.
MR. SMILEY.
At Dryden, just north of Oxford, MRS. THOMAS BENNETT and SOL BRAME were killed.
In the country near Thomas MRS. VAN WAGONER was killed and M. J. KIDDER, MRS. COPEMAN, MRS. ED HOWE and her 2 year old son were perhaps fatally injured.
In the neighborhood of Ortonville the loss of life is great. It has been difficult to get a complete list of the killed and injured, who are scattered over the surrounding country.
A partial list of the killed:
MRS. CLARK EATON.
MRS. J. PERRITT.
MRS. ABRAM QUICK and three children.
MR. and MRS. WILL MITCHELL and two children.
JOHN MILKEY.
J. PERRITT is badly injured and may die.
Between Ortonville and Oakwood twenty-four houses were wrecked and eighteen lives lost.
Between Oakwood and Thomas six houses were destroyed and six persons killed.
In Thomas four houses were wrecked. Beyond Thomas six houses were wrecked and one person killed.

Detroit, Mich., May 26. -- The tail end of the cyclone which swept over Mt. Clemens struck a French settlement just east of Walkerville, Ontario, along the front of the Detroit river. A dozen buildings were more or less damaged. Many horses and cattle were killed. So far as known no person was injured.

Register Rock Valley Iowa 1896-05-29
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Researched and Transcribed by Stu Beitler. Thank you, Stu!