Tornado Season
In the afternoon of March 18, 1925 a monster was born. The Tri-State Tornado of 1925 began as what is universally described as a “smoky fog” touching down three miles northwest of Ellington, Missouri. This EF5 tornado traveled 217 miles across Missouri, Southern Illinois and Indiana, killing 619 people. In each state at least one community (Biehle, MO; Gorham, IL; Griffin, IN) experienced 100% destruction. Some of the staggering death toll is easily attributable to the lack of communication among rural Midwest communities in the midst of the 1920’s. Other reasons are unique to this tornado. The tornado maintained some 65 to 70 miles per hour for the entire 217 miles and 3 ½ hour of its wretched life. Geography worked against the victims as well. The Tri-State followed the same topographical ridge as did the small, poor mining communities that became its victims. The first town fell at 1:30 p.m. There had been so