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The 1967 Belvidere Tornado
Claiming the lives of seven adults and seventeen children, the Belvidere tornado struck the most vulnerable at the worst possible just as school let out. More than five hundred people suffered injuries.
New interviews and fascinating archival history underscore the horrific drama, as well as the split-second decisions of victims and survivors that saved their families and neighbors. Since the tragedy, three more devastating tornadoes have further defined Boone County's Poplar Grove in 2008, Caledonia in 2010 and Fairdale in 2015.
New interviews and fascinating archival history underscore the horrific drama, as well as the split-second decisions of victims and survivors that saved their families and neighbors. Since the tragedy, three more devastating tornadoes have further defined Boone County's Poplar Grove in 2008, Caledonia in 2010 and Fairdale in 2015.
195 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 13, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 3, 2018
My husband was one of the children on the school buses that flew and rolled in this tornado. This was a difficult book to read emotionally, but showed the determination and willingness of people to help in such a tragic event.
June 29, 2021
Great Read
This was a very comprehensive coverage of the 1967 Belvedere event. A lot of first person accounts and a good pictorial history from the event. I found the book riveting. Excellent book.
This was a very comprehensive coverage of the 1967 Belvedere event. A lot of first person accounts and a good pictorial history from the event. I found the book riveting. Excellent book.
February 9, 2025
While researching something totally different, I came across this book. It stuck since my cousin’s home was flattened by this tornado. My uncle was a chemistry teacher at Belvidere HS at the time. I have many memories of the events as told by my aunt, uncle and cousin’s over the years. One I’ve never forgotten was my uncle looking out a school window after the tornado to see his house gone.
While you hear about what a tornado can do, reading the true stories in this book solidifies the matter and brings home the point of not taking these storms lightly. The book doesn’t hone in on how far we’ve come in terms of understanding storms and the sophistication of warning systems, but it certainly is implied and understood. The storm hit as school was letting out and school busses were loading or loaded and on their way to students’ homes. Things would be so different today; busses most likely would have not been dispatched, saving the lives of the 17 children who died.
This book is interesting and a quick read. It seemed to have some redundancy. I would have liked to have read MORE about what happened after the storm. Things like the clean-up, rebuilding, how the schools handled the end of the school year, are of interest to me. Growing up, I never thought about asking more questions about this tragedy to my aunt and uncle or even my parents. My cousins were very young but I guess I’ll see what they can tell me. 😊
I do see the author has written other books on the tornado. They may be of interest.
While you hear about what a tornado can do, reading the true stories in this book solidifies the matter and brings home the point of not taking these storms lightly. The book doesn’t hone in on how far we’ve come in terms of understanding storms and the sophistication of warning systems, but it certainly is implied and understood. The storm hit as school was letting out and school busses were loading or loaded and on their way to students’ homes. Things would be so different today; busses most likely would have not been dispatched, saving the lives of the 17 children who died.
This book is interesting and a quick read. It seemed to have some redundancy. I would have liked to have read MORE about what happened after the storm. Things like the clean-up, rebuilding, how the schools handled the end of the school year, are of interest to me. Growing up, I never thought about asking more questions about this tragedy to my aunt and uncle or even my parents. My cousins were very young but I guess I’ll see what they can tell me. 😊
I do see the author has written other books on the tornado. They may be of interest.
October 15, 2021
bitter sweet and absorbing…
As someone who is addicted to reading about the history of tornadoes before the Weather Channel made it glamorous (for lack of a better word) this book was one of the best I’ve ever read. I was in second grade when this happened, in the Northeast tri-state area of and was too young to understand when it was on TV. A few years later, as I was reading encyclopedias, I saw the famous photo and other photos made me aware of the dangers of these storms. Ironically when I grew up, a job offer took me into a place where an EF4 tornado tore through in 1953… Worcester MA where I now live.
As someone who is addicted to reading about the history of tornadoes before the Weather Channel made it glamorous (for lack of a better word) this book was one of the best I’ve ever read. I was in second grade when this happened, in the Northeast tri-state area of and was too young to understand when it was on TV. A few years later, as I was reading encyclopedias, I saw the famous photo and other photos made me aware of the dangers of these storms. Ironically when I grew up, a job offer took me into a place where an EF4 tornado tore through in 1953… Worcester MA where I now live.
October 24, 2019
Good reading for anyone interested in weather and tornadoes. set read.
History of a school struck by a tornado, and first hand accounts of the students that experienced it. Interesting and fast read
History of a school struck by a tornado, and first hand accounts of the students that experienced it. Interesting and fast read
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews