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- Ever wonder what became of science fair winners? (5/7/24)
- St. Louis architect named to design new Missourian building (4/30/24)
- Writing parking tickets with a friendly smile (4/23/24)2
- Mayor Ford, Kiwanis light up Capaha Park's diamond (4/16/24)1
- The rise and fall of Capaha Park's wooden grandstand (4/9/24)
- Death of Judge Pat Dyer, prosecutor of the famous peonage case here in 1906 (4/2/24)2
- A third steamer Cape Girardeau was christened 100 years ago (3/26/24)
From the Morgue
The Southeast Missourian's resident historian Sharon K. Sanders blogs about interesting pieces of local history pulled from the newspaper's morgue -- the place where our old editions are kept.
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Girardeans mourn with Moore
Posted Tuesday, May 21, 2013, at 5:00 PM
While the residents of Moore, Okla., mourn lost loved ones and pick up the pieces of shattered lives, I was reminded by a frequent contributor to this page that just 64 years ago Cape Girardeans were doing the same thing.
Striking at 6:56 p.m., the tornado that hit Cape Girardeau on May 21, 1949, began its march of destruction on a hill on Gordonville Road. It traveled northeast to the Mississippi River, south of Cape Rock. Its path was as wide as 352 yards.
In the end, it killed 22 and seriously injured 72 more. The ages of the dead ranged from 6 to 81. They included my father's cousin, Fred Wise.
In 2009, the Missourian commemorated the 60th anniversary of that storm. You can find the anniversary coverage here. It includes first-hand accounts of the storm, as well as the Missourian's coverage from 1949.
What it doesn't include is the editorial the Missourian published just after the storm.
The challenges that faced Cape Girardeau then are the same that face Moore, Okla., today.
Our prayers are with the people of Moore.
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