There is no question that summer storms can bring damaging effects. On this date in 1923, newspapers reported on various storm systems that swept through portions of Canada and North Dakota, wreaking havoc as they went.
In Grand Forks, heavy winds blew over smokestacks, trees, and telephone poles, and unroofed several buildings. In Minnesota, rain and “violent” winds damaged an American Legion grandstand and baseball park in Ortonville, and overturned small buildings in Pipestone.
In Bismarck, the rain burst forth for only a short time, but with frantic intensity. The storm “followed a freak course, covering a considerable area both south and north of Bismarck, and apparently followed the river.” It rained only lightly within the city of Mandan, but south of town, the rain was much heavier.
For one man living eight miles south of Mandan, everything was a little more extreme. Ben Campbell’s big dairy barn, measuring 40 by 60 feet, was destroyed when it was struck by lightning around 11 a.m. The barn smoldered at first, then burst into flames. His 110-ton silo was also lost. Luckily, two horses were rescued, and there were no cattle in the barn at the time of the fire.
Joe Ricks, a local man trying to help, was on the roof of the barn throwing water down on the fire below when it collapsed. He, too, saw some luck. According to reports, he “flung himself backwards and escaped being precipitated into the fiery furnace.” Although he fell 10 feet, he escaped injury.
According to the National Weather Service, height, pointed shapes, and isolation are the “dominant factors” linked to lightning strikes. Metal does not actually make a difference. In fact, the Empire State Building is struck, on average, 23 times a year. Obviously not on par with that structure, Campbell’s barn unfortunately had enough of those features to be struck at least once.
Despite the damage and havoc, the storms still brought needed water for thirsty plants trying to grow. In Fort Yates, for example, a 24-hour rain spell reportedly left crops in better condition than they had been the previous year.
Dakota Datebook by Sarah Walker
Sources:
- Bismarck Tribune, June 18, 1923, p1
- https://www.weather.gov/safety/lightning-myths
