Harrison County Missouri New Weather Events

Harrison County, MO Weather Events

The Flood of 1909

SOURCE: HISTORY OF NORTHWEST MISSOURI
EDITED BY: WALTER WILLIAMS
ASSISTED BY: ADVISORY AND CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
COPYRIGHT: 1915

Old postcard showing the flood of 1909

Caption reads: Bethany Flood, July 6, 1909.
Looking south from canning factory bridge

The worst flood in the history of Harrison County occurred in July 1909. Nearly twelve inches of rain fell from Sunday July 5, to Friday July 9. Over six inches of rain fell on the night of the 5th and morning of the 6th. The two Big Creeks were higher than was ever known. Many families in the bottoms were compelled to leave their homes. Twenty steel bridges and many other bridges were destroyed and many houses and barns swept away. For over two weeks the City of Bethany was without electric lights, as water stood two feet in the dynamo room of the boiler room at the power house and the pump for the waterworks was ten feet under water. The county was without trains or mail for several days. Great damage was done to property and growing crops.

submitted by: Melody Beery

Tornadoes and Violent Weather
St. Louis-May 11

Several violent storms in the form of tornadoes have occurred in different parts of North Missouri within the past two days, and a large amount of property has been destroyed and several persons killed. In Harrison County a number of houses and barns were demolished and a large amount of farm property destroyed. William Wilson and his two small children were blown away with his house and killed, and several persons were injured.

In Gentry County more than twenty buildings were destroyed, and Mrs. Nathan Green was killed. Cattle and hogs were killed, and a good deal of general farm property as well as crops were greatly injured. Five or six dwellings and several outbuildings wre blown away south of Memphis Mo. fences were carried away and orchards swept down, but nobody was killed.

Near Blythedale, Mrs.Jane Moore and Mrs. Henry Young were fatally injured and a number of other persons more or less seriously hurt. More than a dozen houses were wrecked and other property destroyed.

Source: The New York Times
May 12, 1890
transcribed by: Melody Beery

FEARFUL STORM

A fearful storm passed over north mIssouri last Friday night injuring many people. A despatch rom Blythedale says that among the seriously injured in that neighborhood are Mrs. Henry Young, who will die, and Miss Jane Moore, whose injuries are probably fatal. Many other receved more or less painful injuries. Numerous buildings were scattered to the four winds. Fruit trees, fences and smaller buildings were leveled to the ground like grass. Many of the people in the track of the storm fled to their storm cellars, which experience had taught them to construct and thus escaped injury. At Martinsville, in Harrison county, the storm was also reported very severe. Nearly a dozen houses were blown down, three people killed and other seriously injured. A number of horses and other stock were killed and much damage done to trees and small buiildings. At Albany about three miles south in the track of the tornado, one person was killed and several houses blown down. Reports from other points in the track of the storm show much damage done.

source: The New Era, Humeston Iowa, May 14, 1890 edition