Portions of this collection have been digitized and are available online through our digital collections.
To learn more about this collection please see the finding aid link found above, and/or visit the College and Lutheran Church Archives to use these primary sources.
Tornado of 1998 Collection, 1998-Ongoing. CAMC Collection 24. 1 Records Center Carton, 1 flat box, 1 small gray box, and digital media.
ABSTRACT:
The Tornado of 1998 collection contains newspaper clippings and photographs pertaining to the tornado that struck St. Peter, Minnesota and Gustavus Adolphus College on 29 March 1998. Included is recorded footage from local news stations, artifacts from the clean-up, reports, videos and artifacts from the “Rebuilding a Greater Gustavus” campaign. There is also a small box of rocks, “tornado poop,” that were picked up and scattered by the tornado.
Around 5:30 pm on 29 March 1998 an F3 tornado hit St. Peter, Minnesota and Gustavus Adolphus College. It destroyed 80 percent of the windows on campus and uprooted more than 2,000 mature trees. Total damages were estimated at $50-52 million. The tornado struck during the first weekend of Spring Break, so the majority of students were gone. The campus remained closed for only three weeks before bringing students back to campus to finish the school year and make sure the seniors graduated on time. Johnson Hall had to be destroyed due to damage from the tornado; however, two new dormitories were built, Prairie View Hall and the Carlson International Center, which holds the Swedish House. The tornado also caused the destruction of six houses owned by the College: Brick, Holly, Pine, Sjostrom, Swedish, and Terrace Houses. 1998 also saw the beginning of construction on the C. Charles Jackson Campus Center, which was completed in 2000.
This collection is grouped by like items, for example, photographs, video cassettes, and newspapers are grouped together respectively.
