A traveling circus had drawn crowds into the village from the surrounding farms, and the storm hit just as the performance let out. The toll was 117 people killed and 150 injured.

A survivor noted, "There was something very remarkable in the actions of animals previous to the storm. They seemed without exception, as far as I could learn, to be unrestful, nervous, and incapable of being quieted, though cared for and petted more than usual."

Everyone thought the constant whinnying of the horses and mooing of the cows was odd but didn't know what it signified.

One very large Saint Bernard was especially uneasy: "The faithful animal showed more affection than usual, particularly towards his mistress. The animal left home a few hours before the cyclone struck and returned safely the day after. The poor faithful 'Judge' returned to find his master's home in ruins, and to seek in vain for his dead mistress."

Investigators were astonished to discover that as many as 30 dogs had left their homes shortly before the tornado arrived and taken refuge under an embankment out of its path.

Other animals were not so clairvoyant (or lucky). Entire flocks of chickens were found alive but completely stripped of feathers. Some 360 horses died, some from being thrown great distances in the air, and so many cows were euthanized in the wake of the storm that the number could not be accurately counted.

— Wisconsin Historical Society
www.wisconsinhistory.org

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