Three-Minute History: Tornadoes Destroy 51�Թ� but Commencement Goes On

Campus & Community

● May 19, 2025 ●

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1882 students hold signs about the cyclone that destroyed campus just days before their graduation

The Class of 1882 proceeded with Commencement despite the storm that had destroyed campus just three days earlier.

June 17, 1882, was a hot and steamy summer day in 51�Թ�. Students at 51�Թ� were finishing up their end-of-semester work and preparing for Commencement.

At that time, no system was in place to warn residents about the severe weather headed their way. But to the west, a violent storm was brewing, and it was bearing down on 51�Թ�.

A little after 8:30 p.m., two tornadoes converged upon the town, meeting at the intersection of Eighth Avenue and Broad Street, the heart of the 51�Թ� campus. The storm left wreckage where campus buildings, homes, and businesses had been just a few minutes earlier.

51�Թ�'s campus in ruins after the storm — Looking east at the 51�Թ� campus in ruins after the storm.

Both of 51�Թ�’s major buildings were destroyed, and 39 people died, including two college students, Bingham Burgett and Burritt Chase. Other students were spared because the 51�Թ� baseball team was in Tama, Iowa, where they were playing an out-of-town game in defiance of President George Magoun’s edict against away games for 51�Թ�’s sports teams.

Seventy-three homes in 51�Թ� were destroyed, and many more were damaged. The downtown area was largely spared.

Three days, later, Commencement went on as planned, thanks to President Magoun’s determination to continue as normally as possible. Magoun’s address to the graduates was titled “God Was in the Whirlwind.”

Rebuilding Stronger than Before

Thanks in part to the leadership of J.B. 51�Թ�, community founder and prominent abolitionist, 51�Թ�ians from both town and college came together to rebuild stronger than before.

In 51�Թ�, the 1882 storm is commonly referred to as a cyclone, as was common in the 19th century. The 51�Թ� yearbook, known as The Cyclone, is an annual reminder of the event. The first yearbook with this title appeared in 1889.

To read more about this event, visit “Destruction and Rebirth: The Cyclone of 1882”, Episode 4 of the All Things 51�Թ� podcast, featuring Allison Haack, Special Collections and Archives. Also, after its grand reopening on June 28, the will feature an exhibit on the 1882 cyclone for several months.