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.
Moberg, Julie. Tornado Scrapbook, 1998. GACA Collection 466. 2 folders.
ABSTRACT:
The Tornado Scrapbook collection consists of a scrapbook created in response to the tornado that hit St. Peter, Minnesota and Gustavus Adolphus College in 1998. Included are newspaper articles detailing the storm and its aftermath. There are also photographs showing damage to Gustavus and St. Peter. Julie Moberg, a junior Gustavus student at the time, created the scrapbook.
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. Campus remained closed for only three weeks before bringing students back to finish the school year and make sure seniors graduated on time. Johnson Hall had to be demolished due to tornado damage; 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 work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0