Weather reports from the afternoon of May 25, 1896 included some strong winds during the day, but nothing unusual for late spring in northern Oakland County.
However as evening approached and area farmers returned home from their day in the fields the placid countryside turned deadly.
A tornado ripped through northern Oakland County starting near the west line of Groveland township and the north edge of Holly Township and moved across Brandon, Oxford and Dryden townships to the east line in Lapeer County, a total of about 25 miles. The path of the tornado started out at about 16 feet wide and ranged to about three-fourths of a mile, according to newspaper accounts.
Next month will mark the 110th anniversary of the F-5 cyclone which missed Ortonville to the north but gutted the villages of Oakwood and Thomas.
Robert Leece, a farmer living north of Oakwood Road west of Sands Road survived the cyclone of 1896. An account of his losses, which included about $50 in building damage 40 fruit trees and about 100 yards of fence were documented by a committee reporting back to then, Michigan Gov. John T. Rich. The committee visited the tornado area and interviewed about 190 individuals, including Leece, beginning on June 5, 1896. The report filed on June 19, 1896, tallied losses of about $162,560, which included 61 homes, and 18,047 fruit trees. Deaths were reported at 38 with 61 injured.
Ortonville native Kathleen Leece, 87, wife of Elwyn Leece the grandson of Robert Leece recalls the farm buildings standing just north of Oakwood Road along Sands Road.
‘I don’t recall hearing too much about the cyclone and the Leece’s farm, they had seven children. But my mother, Jennie Saunders, told me her father Frank Howell went out to help take care of the injured,? said Kathleen. My mother was only 3-years-old at the time, but remembers the doctors being called in to help.?
A local newspaper reported fires starting in the wrecked houses, due to the wood burning kitchen stoves as residents were preparing the evening meal. All roads were blocked with fallen trees hindering doctors from Clarkston, Flint, Pontiac, Holly, Ortonville, Oxford and other towns to arrive. Other reports included vandalism and looting in the tornado area, law enforcement were needed to patrol the area.
The northern Oakland County area was not alone in strong storms on that late May afternoon. According to the National Weather Service, May 25, 1896 four other tornados were reported in the southeastern region of Michigan:
n At about 2 p.m., an F-2 tornado touched down near Clio and moved east through northern Genesee and Lapeer counties. The tornado crossed the village of Otter Lake. Three homes were destroyed and three people were injured.
n At about 2 p.m., an F-3 tornado touched down in Bay County and moved east to Tuscola County. Twelve were injured and one died.
n At about 4 p.m., an F-3 tornado touched down in Sterling Heights and moved east through Mt. Clemens across Lake St. Clair into southern Ontario. Two people were killed.
n At about 5 p.m., an F-2 tornado touched down in southern Sanalic County and moved east through the village of Amador then out into Lake Huron. A large water spout was spotted. Three injuries were reported.
‘It’s not that uncommon for an out break of storms when the atmosphere is favorable for tornadic development,? said David Shurler, metrologist with the National Weather Service in White Lake Township. That same day in 1896 four tornados were reported in Illinois too.?
Shurler says that an account of the storm in the National Weather Service records includes an extensive survey of the damage.
‘It’s amazing, the storm data from the Ortonville tornado described the bark removed from the trees as, ‘done by the careful hands of an artisan.? Just like today the data collected following these storms comes from studies of the debris along with the amount and type of destruction.?
‘The magnitude of the storm is based on the damage to homes, including it’s speed which is estimated from the damage to the homes. Today we have people that go out do an extensive survey of the damage to determine the severity of the storm.?
Shurler said that 110 years ago factors contributed to the wide spread destruction from the storm, including more farms in the area and thus fewer trees to impede the progress of a tornado. Also, the construction of homes has improved during the last century.
‘It’s hard to say the impact a storm like that of 1896 would have on a house today, but even a well constructed home would not have a chance in 300 mph winds. But even today compare the deaths today in a mobile home area. Construction is everything.?
The most deadly Michigan tornado was the F-5 Beecher Tornado in the northern Flint area. On June 8, 1953, 116 were killed.