8/20/2010:
A 1911 postcard carried this message, "This is how the storm looked [as it] passed over Antler ... wrecked a barn and killed one man 1 ½ miles from where I am working. Am doing quite well...Anton."
On the front of the postcard is a picture of the tornado that hit Antler and the surrounding area on this date in 1911. The large black mass extends down not too far from some buildings.
Whoever took the photo must have had a hard time of it, worrying about the approaching twister. By that time, however, gelatin emulsions had made it possible to take pictures more quickly. The light-sensitive substance required shorter exposure times; film could be bought ready-to-go and developing could take place well after the fact, making it much easier to take a picture of a tornado.
The Antler photo was not the first twister picture though. An unknown photographer took a tornado photograph in 1884, in what was then Dakota Territory. Against a grey backdrop, one thin tornado elegantly stretches down kicking up dust as two others start swirling towards the ground.
However, on the day of the Antler tornado, there were pictures of more than just the twister. Other photos, taken the same day, show the destruction. All that remained in place of one man's house was the floor. The roof sat not too far away. Another women's house was demolished, and the wooden boards lay scattered across her yard.
Antler's newspaper detailed the damages to homes and crops, proclaiming property losses would total more than 100,000 dollars. The paper also told the story of those caught up in the storm.
The twister hit one home where more than 20 people had gathered. Most fit in the cellar, but there wasn't space for one man. He hid in the trees and came away with only a "scalp wound.
There was also a group at the picnic grounds on Mr. Manning's property that day. Mr. Manning offered up the space so frequently that many forgot the land was private. The "Pride of Antler," with its welcoming shade and natural beauty, the picnic grounds had hosted 150 people earlier that day. Most left when they saw the approaching storm, but by the time the twister headed towards the picnic grounds 15-20 people remained. Taking shelter in the pavilion, many were injured as the place was lifted from its foundations and the structure was destroyed. Though badly beaten, all had initially survived the tornado. It was later that several died of their injuries.
Though much of the damage couldn't be undone, Mr. Manning said he would restore the picnic grounds so that in time the place would regain its former glory.
Dakota Datebook written by Alyssa Boge
Sources:
The Antler American - August 24th, 1911.
"Photographs: Archival Care and Management" by Mary Lynn Ritzenthaler and Diane Vogt-O'Connor - 2006
http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/enlarge/oldest-tornado-photo-photography.html