Hello again everyone! It's Hernando checking in! I just arrived back from a short trip to DeSoto, Illinois! My kind friend, Ashley Dietz, took me there to visit a historical spot! Who knew that a small town like DeSoto could be so exciting?
Did you know DeSoto was in the pathway of the famous Tri-State Tornado? If you are not familiar with this tragedy, on March 18, 1925, the Tri-State Tornado was one of the deadliest tornadoes in U.S. history! This was a F5 category tornado that traveled through three states (Southeast Missouri, Southern Illinois and Southwest Indiana). The tornado had winds up to 300 mph and had a 29 mile path. The Tri-State Tornado killed around 695 people in its deadly path.
You might be wondering why Ashley took me to DeSoto Grade School to represent this event? Well, during this tornado, the 1925 school building was demolished by the storm. The school has a date, made of tiles, marking the date that the new school building was built. The tile marking is located under a black rubber mat in front of the doors that enter the playground of the school. Most people do not even know this tile marking is even there!
Ashley also lives in the small town of DeSoto, IL and she has heard first-hand accounts of local individuals who had family members in the storm! She told me a story about her great-grandfather. During the tornado, he lived on her family farm and looked towards town and could see the storm in the distance! He mentioned that he could see trees being blown around in the air! How crazy!
Even though this was a very sad tragedy, it was a very exciting trip!
To find out more information about the Tri-State Tornado visit this website!
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/pah/?n=1925_tor_ss
Total miles for trip: 15.2 miles
Total Trip for section 002: 518.54
Longitude: -89.223416
Latitude: 37.819217
Looks like an ordinary mat, but under it is the tile!
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