50 years ago, a tornado changed Chaffee

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- On Dec. 18, 1957, the face of Chaffee's downtown changed.

That day a powerful tornado ripped through the city's downtown, shearing the fronts off two story brick building, smashing windows and causing what was estimated as over $1 million damage at the time.

Before the tornado Chaffee's downtown looked much like that of Cape Girardeau's, rows of buildings two stories high. After the tornado low-slung, one-story structures took their place.

Look for more on this story in Tuesday's Southeast Missourian.