Fergus Falls greeted 1919 cautiously optimistic as the previous two years were difficult. World War I had claimed the lives of 87 county servicemen while another 235 had died during the 1918 flu pandemic. People were ready for better times.

By mid June a warm and wet spring had turned into a hot and sticky summer. When signs pointed to stormy weather on Sunday, June 22, people were hoping it would usher in cooler, dryer weather. By later afternoon a strange continuous thunder started that Myrtle Danielson described as “many steel drums rolling across the floor of a distant palace.” When the thunder turned into an angry growling it started raining so heavily Kathryn Kaddatz recalled, “it seemed as if the whole river had been laid upon the town.”

Suddenly a giant funnel cloud appeared in the area of Vine and Summit. As the massive tornado moved north and east it ripped apart everything in its path leaving a path of destruction unbelievable to behold.

Mayor George Frankberg’s house remained relatively intact. As he and his family emerged from the cellar and started sweeping up there was a loud banging on the side door. A man was frantically waving at him.

“Mayor, mayor you won’t believe this but the Grand Hotel is flatter than a pancake!”

Sure enough the Grand Hotel was gone, reduced to a pile of rubble. If this wasn’t bad enough the Mayor could hear the cries and moans of people trapped under the debris. The destruction of the Grand was just the beginning. Lake Alice was so filled with debris it looked as though you could walk across it. Cars were flipped about like toys, trees uprooted, and buildings and homes destroyed. Two-thirds of Fergus Falls was damaged or destroyed, over 60 killed and hundreds injured. It was the gravest crisis the city had ever faced.

After the initial shock the community rallied under the leadership of Mayor Frankberg.

“We are going to have a bigger and better Fergus Falls if we all cooperate in our reconstruction program. We have already been drawn closer together. Our interests are common, let us unite and plan for the future of Fergus Falls.”