Tyler tornado: A town rebuilt
By Robert Wolfington IIITYLER - Many of the storefronts in downtown Tyler on Tyler Street have a similar brick store front because of one man, Citizens State Bank President Greg Peter said.
"It was one contractor that rebuilt all of main street, that's why they're all brick fronts," said Peter.
The buildings on Tyler's main street were rebuilt after a tornado struck the town 90 years ago today - Aug. 21, 1918 - and killed 36 people, injured hundreds more and demolished many buildings in the city
"The far building in the corner was originally the Farmers State Bank building," said Peter. "The hospital was on top (of the Farmers State Bank) and it blew off."
Peter said a portion of the current bank building includes bricks from the Farmers State Bank building nearly destroyed in the storm. Original bank vaults also survived the tornado and can be found in the bank today, Peter said.
There are two long photos hanging in the Citizens State Bank of Tyler.
One photo was taken a few days after a tornado ripped through the community in 1918, the other shows what downtown looked like one year later.
Those photos are, for some, the only recognition they have of a tornado that struck 90 years ago.
For others, it's a reminder of what they experienced.
"It still comes up quite often," said Peter. "The older folks always remember where they were when it happened."
"I was just talking with someone who lives a mile-and-a-half from town, and the sons of the family I was talking to walked into town to see if they could help with the cleaning," Peter said. "It was such a massive ordeal."
Barb Dahl, 70, wasn't alive when the storm came through town, but she remembered growing up and hearing stories from the survivors.
Dahl remembers Dora Lange, a survivor of the storm who wrote her memories down in a journal.
"Dora Lange was the midwife for my mother when I was born," said Dahl. "She was real nice. Reading (Lange's memories) really brought it back for me."
Dahl was in downtown Tyler on Wednesday as she followed a self-guided walking tour about the tornado. Posters were hung on buildings and yards which described what was located at that site when the tornado hit in 1918. The posters described what happened that day and what followed at the site.
The bank had two tour posters.
Bev Blanchette of Arco said she first learned about the tornado 20 years ago when she saw the long photograph that depicts downtown Tyler only days after the tornado.
The community has turned around and grown over the 90 years, Blanchette said.
"It's really amazing what they have done here," Blanchette said.
Dahl said the tornado was devastating at the time, but in the years since the storm, the community has grown stronger.
"This is a survivor place," said Lange. "(Tyler) has continued to grow, this is home."
