Vanished Hillsdale

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Ten people were killed and nearly 100 injured when twin tornadoes struck the Hillsdale area on Palm Sunday in 1965.

The first of the two tornadoes touched down around 8 p.m. The second followed 20-30 minutes after, taking the victims of the first tornado and the responders trying to rescue them by surprise.

The tornadoes destroyed millions worth in in property. The Baw Beese and Bear Lake areas were both hit.

Houses were flattened and livestock killed. Some people were blown out of their homes. Mrs. Hugh Norris, an 80-year-old who lived on Baw Beese Lake, suffered only a bruised shoulder and some aches and pains despite being thrown, with her house, 700 feet down the shore and 50 feet into the lake. She was rescued by two of her neighbors.

Others were not so lucky. Two young boys were torn from their father’s arms and killed. In the aftermath of the disaster, the local people—as well as state and national organizations—worked to rescue those still trapped, provide for the victims, and clear the wreckage. More than 60 Hillsdale College students helped with the recovery.

-Compiled by Walker Mulley from the Hillsdale Daily News’s coverage the week after the tornadoes