Cheyenne, WY Tornado Damage, July 1979
CHEYENNE TORNADO INJURES 37.
Cheyenne, Wyo. (AP) -- Stunned by Cheyenne's first tornado in history, residents today resume searching the rubble of more than 200 homes in affluent sections of the city.
The twister injured 37 persons, five of whom were hospitalized. A 14-month-old boy, DAVID McKINNON, died of head injuries when his family's mobile home was torn apart, authorities said.
"No one ever thought we would ever have a tornado in Cheyenne, Wyoming," Mayor DON ERICKSON said, "but we had one."
The twister bounced across Cheyenne about 3:40 p.m. Monday, departing the city about half an hour later and leaving what ERICKSON estimated to be more than 200 damaged homes. The mayor said his estimate of the damage was "a very wild estimate. It's not scientific in any regard."
He said the funnel cut across a two-block wide area for 4 to 5 miles within the city limits. "It hit more than once," he said. "It might have hit half a dozen times."
As the twister came close, NORMA McCLELLAN urged her two teen-age children to get in the car and outrun it, but her son disagreed. The family took shelter in their basement, and when the sound ended, came upstairs to find their home destroyed.
The Paris News Texas 1979-07-17
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Researched and Transcribed by Stu Beitler. Thank you, Stu!
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Cheyenne Tornado on July 16th 1979
I remember that day like it was just yesterday. I lived in Orchard Valley on Blossom Court, which is way on the south end of Cheyenne. It was my 7th birthday that day, and it just so happened my mother threw my bday party that same day. I can remember just opening my front door (my front door faced north) during my party and seeing what i thought looked like a building on fire (I was 7 and really didn't know what a tornado looked like cause I'd never seen one.) I remember telling my mom, "There's something on fire!" My mother stopped what she was doing to look and immediately cried, "That's not a fire, thats a tornado, everybody downstairs!" So we all shuffeled down to the basement, both parents and kids. I can remember the mass hysteria amonst the kids that were at my party. They were all really scared and crying, but I didn't. I was pretty calm considering. Some of the parents wanted to stand out infront of our house to take pictures (really stupid, cause tornados can be far off and then right there at a blink of an eye.) Several days after, one of my parents came home with a framed black and white picture of this tornado upclose. Someone they worked with had given it to them to give it to me cause it was my bday and all. That was an interesting day for me, and the most memorable bday I have had since. Just thought I'd share.
wow
wow that is what happend when the tornato hit cheyanne!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Tornado
That is so strange. You never know, I guess.
Cheyenne Tornado 1979
I was a junior at East High School at the time. We lived in Buffalo Ridge (parents are still in the same house). I was working a construction job that summer and I was working at a different house in Buffalo Ridge; I was there up to about 30 minutes before the tornado came through town.
The tornado went right through our neighborhood.
There are links to a few pics of my house below. In pic #2 you can see the path of the tornado off into the distance. (That's my dad on the roof)
The day after the tornado I went back to the house that I was working at the day before. (It was a brand new house not yet occupied). The entire house was gone! Not one stick of lumber left. I'm glad I didn't leave that house 30 minutes later than I did!
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd172/tomdotreed/cheyenne_tornado_1.j...
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd172/tomdotreed/cheyenne_tornado_2.j...
Cheyenne tornado
I grew up in the same area you did, as a matter of fact just across mountain road on Roundtop Ct., i was only 2 when the tornado took the hosue. My parents house is whats left of the one to the right of the green one still standing. They rebuilt and are still living in the same house. They had to rebuild from the foundation up.