9. June 12, 1899
On the evening of June 12, at the end of the nineteenth century, a tornado swept across Lake St. Croix toward the town of New Richmond, Wisconsin. The twister surprised a crowd of people leaving the last performance of a traveling circus. Along the way, the devastating storm destroyed more than 300 buildings and killed 117 people. The close-knit community saw 26 families lose more than one person. One-quarter of those families saw the deaths of four or more. The swath of destruction left by the storm was more than 3,000 feet long.
