Parish History: Winnfield's Worst Natural Disaster, 1977, Winn Parish, LA.
Submitted by Greggory E. Davies, 120 Ted Price Lane, Winnfield, LA 71483
**********************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm
**********************************************


 


From: August 3, 1977 Winn Parish Enterprise News-American

Winnfield's Worst Natural Disaster

The Tornado That Damaged Or Destroyed 214 Buildings

There is a major flood in Johnstown, Pa.  Fire is sweeping down the California
coast, and many sections of the nation are suffering from a severe drought.

Winnfield and Winn Parish have been spared from natural disasters such as
these in recent years.

But one March afternoon in 1935, Winnfield was hit quickly and hard.

The storm came from the southwest, and at 1:30 p.m. Monday, March 4, 1935, the
tornado struck.

It cut a zigzag path through town in less than three minutes.  When it was
over, Winnfield had suffered the worst natural disaster in its history.

The tornado was devastating.  More than 200 buildings were either destroyed or
damaged.  One person was seriously injured, and there was more than $200,000
damage.

But, despite all the destruction, no one was killed.

Mrs. I. G. Davis was the only person seriously injured by the storm.  As she
was leaving her place of business, the Davis Hotel, the storm blew off one of
the hotel's doors.  The door struck Mrs. Davis, knocking her to the ground. 
Moments later the building was completely destroyed.

One person was thought to be killed, but George Lorraine was found in the
rubble only slightly bruised.

The tornado is still called the one that blew the Winnfield City Hall down. 
The tornado did not knock the building flat, but the City Hall received almost
$30,000 in damages.

One of the town's major industries, Mansfield Hardwood Company Mill, had
between $15,000 and $20,000 in damages.

Rains that accompanied the tornado did a lot of the damage.  The rains soaked
stock on shelves in the structures that had been unroofed.

Electrical power was cut off more than six hours.  Although the telephones
were out for only a short time, the town was without telegraph service
for nearly two days.

Hal Stone's Popular Players, a traveling tent show, happened to be setting
up their tent when the storm hit.  The tent was ripped to shreds.

Governor O. K. Allen was at his Winnfield residence when the tornado struck. 
Although Allen's home was untouched, his chicken coop was flattened.  

When the tornado left Winnfield, it continued its bouncing easterly course
through Joyce, where several houses lost roofs and many buildings were ripped
from their foundations.

A total of 214 buildings were damaged or destroyed.  Only 49 had tornado
insurance.  The town leaders, under the guidance of Mayor R. W. Buce, began to
direct the cleanup.

The people of Winnfield rallied together to repair power and communication
lines.  Rubbish and trash were cleaned up in less than three days.

But the town's people lacked funds for repairs.

So, Mayor Buce and the town alderman applied for federal aid.  With the help
of Rep. Cleveland Dear, Winnfield would eventually receive more than $150,000
for repair work.

The federal government issued a grant for $28,651.71 for the reconstruction of
the Winnfield City Hall, which was one of the buildings that did not have
insurance.

Because of inflation, the 1935 tornado would have done more than $2 million in
damage had it struck today.