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Tornado wreaks damage

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Johnnie Wilson was hospitalized at Alma Thursday night and his wife, Bonnie was with him. So their farm house north of Inavale was empty. But, on the same farmstead, their son, Rob, his wife, Diana, and their 2 small daughters, Laci and Amber, were in their mobile home when destruction came out of the sky at 9:18 p.m.

Diana has heard a tornado before and recognized the sound. By the time they grabbed their daughters and got to the back door, the air was filled with flying debris and there was nothing to do but sit out the storm where they were.

Almost immediately the power went off. So when the storm passed over they evacuated in darkness and drove to the Ken Larrick home a mile east, where they called the Webster County Sheriff to report a tornado on the ground and called the fire department for help as they could smell a propane gas leak when the left the house.

The main destruction to the farmstead was the large barn which was decapitated above the hay mow floor. The lower part was twisted beyond repair. Parts of the barn were scattered everywhere. One large section of the eaves was layed against the south end of the main house pushing out windows, casing and all. A large picture window was shattered onto a table in the living room, but a vase on that table was standing and undamaged.

Only a few feet from the house, the east side of the garage was gone; and on the opposite end of the yard, the east end was pushed out of a farrowing house. The power poles from the road to the farmstead were splintered and broken, but the wires between the barn and the main house were intact.

Grain bins near the barn were dented by the impact of the roof crashing into them. The propane tank was also hit causing a gas leak which forced the evacuation of the John D. Harvey, Johnnie Allen Harvey and Harvey Lovejoy families. A large cottonwood tree approximately 30 feet from the back door of the mobile home was mutilated.

From the Wilson farmstead the storm tracked east and north and west and north and east again, leaving a trail through fences, trees, milo, buildings, corn and more trees. The outbuildings on the farmstead formerly occupied by the Leo Conway family were leveled and trees were up rooted as far north as the old Cather place now owned by the Jim Krals. All along the Inavale road debris was hanging from fences and power lines yet Saturday morning.

Over 100 people came Friday to help the Wilsons with their giant clean up job and there were 30 there again by 10 o’clock Saturday morning. Sunday work pretty well finished the job of taking the barn down, and friends and neighbors were planning to be at the Wilson home again Monday to continue clean-up.

I read in the Friday issue of a daily paper widly circulated in our area, that a Webster County Sheriff’s office dispatcher had reported to them that a possible tornado was sighted near Inavale. Believe me, it was a tornado! Or if not, I’m sure the Wilsons are hoping they never have one come their way! And the other people living in the tornado’s path are thanking their lucky stars that other farmsteads weren’t hit as no warning was ever given after the initial sighting was reported.

Source:
Blue Hill Leader

NOAA Lists Wilson Farm Tornado as EF2

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While doing some research on the tornado that struck the Wilson farm on September 18, 1986, I came across the following information directly from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) website.

F2/EF2:
– September 18, 1986
Webster County. A tornado touched down six miles south of Inavale, NE and moved northeast for two miles. The tornado destroyed a barn, downed power lines and trees, and damaged several outbuildings.

Source:
September Tornadoes – South Central Nebraska and North Central Kansas
Data from January, 1950 – December 2010
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/gid/?n=septembercwatornadoes

Note:
The source states that the tornado touched down six miles south of Inavale, when in fact it was six miles north of Inavale.

David Gibson Obituary

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David Gibson was born March 17, 1828 in County Down, Ireland and died Jan 22, 1904 at 8:30 o’clock a.m. in Montezuma. He had been 58 years in the United States having lived first for 5 years in New York City; then two years in Canada, was afterward in Ill. 12 years and since then for 28 years near Thornburg, Iowa, 6 years at Keswick, 2 years in What Cheer and part of a year up to the time of his death in Montezuma, Iowa where he died.

The deceased was married on Aug. 12, 1854 while living in New York City to Miss Mary J. Macauley. Into this home were born eleven sons and daughters of whom 6 are still living, 3 sons and 3 daughters, they are A.M. Gibson living in What Cheer, Mrs. J. L. Bussing in Burlington, Wash. Robert in Oklahoma, Mrs. Maggie Baldwin, in Des Moines Iowa, J.J. Gibson in Silver City N.M. and Miss Agnes who lived with and cared for the father at the time of his death. Mrs. Baldwin was the only other child able to be present when the final parting came. The other sons and daughters being at a long distance or detained because of sickness.

The deceased had been an invalid for two years before death and had moved from the old farm to What Cheer and Montezuma, to be more free from care and more convenient to medical assistance. The wife and mother of this home died in What Cheer four and one half years ago. One son was buried from What Cheer.

The deceased was one of ten brothers and sisters of whom only two are still living: one Alexander in Nebraska and one Samuel in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Mr. Gibson had united with the Methodist Protestant church 17 years ago at Keswick, Iowa. He had been reared in a Presbyterian home in his boyhood and during his last years and illness spoke many times of his belief in Christ, the bible, prayer, the benefits of a consistent church membership and christian life. He spoke at different times in his last sickness and after helplessness prevented him from going on the streets, of his desire to see as many neighbors and old friends as possible. He spoke often of his children as being widely scattered in different distant homes, was calm when speaking of the end that was not far away, and did not fear to go.

The funeral occurred, on Sunday afternoon January 24, 1904 at 2 o’clock, in the White Oak chapel near Thornburg, Iowa, the sermon being preached by Rev. W.L. Clark, of Montezuma, Iowa.

To each child who helped this father in his last two years of life these words seem appropriate: “The Lord deal kindly with you as ye have dealt with the dead.”

Source:
Newspaper Clipping from 1904
Keokuk County Historical Society, Sigourney, IA 

John Ross LeLacheur

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John Ross LeLacheur, who resides in section 29, township 26, range 32, Cherry county, Nebraska, has a valuable estate which he has gained by industry and good management. He was born in Delaware county, Iowa, in 1876, on a farm.

Elisha LeLacheur, the father of our subject, was a native of Prince Edward Island, born in 1831, and came of French parentage. He grew up in that country and came to America with his parents when he was a lad of eleven, the family settling in Iowa, and he attended the country schools in Delaware county, and was married there in 1863 to Mary J. Bliss, of English and Yankee stock, the mother now residing in Mullen. John Ross LeLacheur was one of four children in his father’s family, named as follows; Phoebe E., Frank W., John R. and Wm. H., and he was the third member in order of birth. In 1882 our subject moved to Nebraska, driving from Iowa with a team and covered wagon, bringing with them a yoke of oxen and three horses, also three colts. The trip was a hard and tedious one, they being obliged to camp out at night, but they came through with no serious drawbacks, and after arriving in Nebraska settled in Nance county, where they lived for four years, then came to Cherry county and settled on a ranch situated eleven miles northwest of Mullen. There their first dwelling was a tent, in which they lived during the first summer. Storms and hail literally tore the tent to pieces in a few months, and they were obliged to build a sod house before the rough weather came on in the fall, and also built a hen house of sod, barns and sheds for their stock. They had hard times at first, but gradually kept improving the place and tried to farm, but lost several crops during the dry years, and had bad luck. On October 23, 1894, the father died as a result of an accident. He was helping fight a prairie fire and was so badly burned that he only survived his wounds eighteen hours. On January 1, 1901, the old ranch homestead building caught fire and burned to the ground. One son, William, and his family occupied the dwelling at the time, and his wife was awakened at four o’clock in the morning by the smell of smoke, found the house on fire and they barely escaped from the burning building with their lives. As it was, William’s hair was badly singed and his night clothes were nearly burned off his body. His wife and their child were almost caught in the fire, but managed to escape without serious harm. This put an end to occupying the old ranch house, but the place is still used as a summer pasture for stock.

In 1899 our subject went on a ranch of his own, which was situated in section 29, township 26, range 32. He had been married in December of the year previous, to Maggie Stevenson, daughter of Frank Stevenson, an old settler in western Nebraska. Mrs. LeLacheur’s mother was prior to her marriage, Miss Adelaide Allen, born in Pine Grove, Warren county, Pennsylvania. The young couple at once started out to build up a good home together, and worked hard and faithfully to accomplish that end, and have succeeded in a marked degree. Mr. LeLacheur is now the owner of a fine ranch of 640 acres, all of which is fenced and improved with good buildings, and he is extensively engaged in the stock raising business, also farming quite a portion of the place. He has two children, Clyde and Ross.

One brother, William, also owns a good ranch of 640 acres, which he established in 1900, and is located in sections 26 and 27, township 25, range 32, this being the property of his wife, who acquired it through homestead rights. She was Miss Anna Gibson, daughter of Alexander Gibson, an old settler in McPherson county, Nebraska, and her mother’s maiden name was Ellen Morrison. Two boys have been born to William Horton LeLacheur and his good wife, namely; Ralph and Earl.

The LeLacheur family was among the first to settle in this part of Cherry county, coming here when there were but two houses in the entire neighborhood in which they located. Each has done his full share in the upbuilding of the region, and take leading parts in the community. During the early days the subject of this review and his brother Frank, captured two deer and tamed them so that they became household pets, but during the severe hail storms that swept the country and destroyed the tent in which they lived, these animals were killed, and the entire family were as much grieved by their loss as they were at the serious property loss which they suffered.

Source:
Compendium of History Reminiscence & Biography of Western Nebraska
Chicago: Alden Publishing Company, 1909
Pages 179-180