Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Freakish Hail Storm
by Tessa Sandstrom
July 16, 2019— It was 1951, and farmers of Emmons and McIntosh Counties were optimistic about the year’s crops. It looked to be one of the best crops they had ever had, but it was late at night on this date when many of these crops were pummeled by ice chunks the size of a man’s fist.
The storm, reported to be 10 miles deep and 40 miles long, was a sporadic one, too. The Ashley Tribune reported that this “freakish” hail storm “oddly ... lifted here and there, sparing numerous fields, while others nearby were almost totally destroyed.” Near Kintyre in Emmons County, the storm cut a path 4miles wide and 20 miles long through some fields, putting farmers at a 100 percent loss. Yet other farmers, especially in nearby Fredonia of Logan County only reported a 3% loss. Only one farmer near Fredonia reported extensive damage, making this the sixth year in a row he’d been hailed out.
Heavy moisture accompanied the hail, with McIntosh County receiving one and three quarters inches of rain. High winds knocked out windows in homes in barns, and lightning started a farmhouse near Strasburg on fire. The storm continued through the night early into the next morning. The next morning, after the storm cleared, the sight many walked out to was that of broken windows, dented siding, trampled crops, and in some areas, ditches filled one foot deep with hail.
Two hundred loss claims were reported to the McIntosh County Auditor’s office following the storm. It was a tragedy for many who were expecting a bumper crop, and many others who had plans to begin harvesting later that week. Kintyre postmaster Ed Ellingson commented on the destructive storm. “It’s a sad sight after the finest stand that any of the old timers had ever seen.”
Cold Day in Beulah
by Merry Helm
July 18, 2019 — Looking back at the unseasonably cold weather this spring, it’s interesting to note the record high and low temperatures that have been set at Theodore Roosevelt National Park over the years. For the months of February through September, every high record except one was set during the 1980s and ‘90s, while almost every cold record was set during the 1960s.
In a publication printed for Beulah’s Golden Anniversary, a story reads, “A big water carnival was sponsored in July of 1962. The committee picked the windiest, coldest day ever recorded in July. But that didn’t slow down the crowd. Hundreds upon hundreds garbed in winter gear and, carrying blankets and hot coffee, clamored (out) to see the show.”
A beautiful new water-ski ramp had been built for the show, but right before the jumps were to begin, the ramp began to lean, and a few minutes later, whitecaps chopped the ramp apart “like a tinker toy... but the show went on and was a success, ramp or no ramp.”
“Dakota Datebook” is a radio series from Prairie Public in partnership with the State Historical Society of North Dakota and with funding from the North Dakota Humanities Council. See all the Dakota Datebooks at prairiepublic.org, or subscribe to the “Dakota Datebook” podcast.
