Reaping the Whirlwind: The Regina Tornado of 1912 part 3 of 6

As the tornado swept in through the southern residential district, its path narrowed to the width of three city blocks. It headed north taking a path down Smith and Lorne Streets first catching McIntyre one block to the east, then Cornwall one block to the west as it followed its northern trajectory though roughly the centre of Regina.

 Outline of Regina showing the path of the tornado

 

With a path of destruction left behind in the substantial homes and buildings of the more affluent end of town, the tornado then ripped through the rail yards and warehouse district before causing damage to the working class district on the other side of the tracks. As it hit the rail yard the tornado's path widened destroying a wider swath of homes and buildings before roaring out of the city limits.

Sources

Anderson, Frank (1980). Regina's Terrible Tornado, June 30, 1912. Surrey, BC, Heritage House Publishing Company

Bingaman, Sandra (2011) . Storm of the Century: The Regina Tornado of 1912. Regina, Saskatchewan: Canadian Plains Research Center Press

 

Reaping the Whirlwind: The Regina Tornado of 1912 part 2 of 6

It was Sunday and Regina had been baking in the heat for days. The more venturesome headed out to Wascana Park to cool off by the lake; while others, many lethargic from the heat, stayed home. It was June 30, 1912 and Reginans were anticipating the next day's Dominion Day celebrations. But those celebrations never happened.

                                                                                           

When dark clouds and rain came in from the south, many welcomed the storm as relief from the heat. But the rain and lightning were soon followed by a funnel cloud which had formed in the fields outside the city limits. Touching down on farms outside the city limits, the tornado left death and destruction in its wake before heading into the city to wreck more havoc.

As the tornado came in through Wascana Lake, swimmers headed for shore and boaters tried to get out of its way. Some tried to take shelter in the boat club. The funnel cloud came through the lake, sideswiping the Legislative Building causing damage to windows and rooms and sucking out all the grade school exam papers in the Department of Education. When it reached the other side of the lake it destroyed the boat club and the other buildings on the north shore, injuring those who sought refuge there.

NewsTalk980CJME CJME's Natalie Geddes remembers the cyclone. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ffRKHJQunE

Day out at Wascana Lake

City of Regina Archives Photograph Collection, CORA-B-779

Sources

Anderson, Frank (1980). Regina's Terrible Tornado, June 30, 1912. Surrey, BC, Heritage House Publishing Company

Bingaman, Sandra (2011). Storm of the Century: The Regina Tornado of 1912. Regina, Saskatchewan: Canadian Plains Research Center Press

 

Reaping the Whirlwind: The Regina Tornado of 1912 part 1 of 6

Available farmland in Ontario became scarce towards the end of the 1800's. People started to move into what was then known as the Northwest Territories, setting up farms and towns as they moved west. Some of the movement came from the Canadas but immigration from other countries was also encouraged. As the western population grew, the railway followed and some of the towns became cities.

Regina reached city status on June 19, 1903. It continued to grow rapidly, promoted by its business community. Census figures for 1911 peg the population at 30,213 but growth was so rapid that the Board of Trade quoted a population figure of 40,000 by 1912. With numbers increasing exponentially, housing construction couldn't keep up but Regina boasted of public buildings more in keeping with a larger city. There was a new YMCA, YWCA and library. Overlooking Wascana Lake was the Legislative Building for Saskatchewan, known at the time as the Parliament Building, which had just been finished and already housed the government offices although the building had not yet been officially opened.

Among those attracted to the bustling young city was Harold S. Chambers. After he immigrated in 1911, he ended up working in a bank in Craik, a town in a farming area. By 1912 he was rooming at a home in the prosperous southend of Regina, at 2152 Smith Street, and working at the Union Bank on Scarth Street, an easy walk away. His prior years had been spent in large urban centres in England so he must have felt more comfortable in the city. That would change for him and many other Reginans on June 30, 1912. 

Lorne Street and Victoria Avenue 1911

 City of Regina Archives Photograph Collection, CORARPL-B-205

 

Sources

Bingaman, Sandra (2011) . Storm of the Century: The Regina Tornado of 1912. Regina, Saskatchewan: Canadian Plains Research Center Press

The City of Regina (1978). Regina before yesterday: a visual history 1882 to 1945. Regina, Saskatchewan.