Listen to a 10 min. audio account of actual radio news reports and commentary on this tornado here.
Back on June 13th, 1975 a tornado coming from out of a dark and foreboding northwest sky struck Stillwater. Its path started near W. Lakeview and N. Western Rd. southeast to 14th and S. Perkins Rd. The tornado was not always on or near the ground, but did dip low at least three times, causing damage to the Oklahoma State University campus, downtown Stillwater and a residential neighborhood to the southeast. Once further southeast in a rural area on E. 32nd, the tornado dipped low again and wrecked the Green Valley Mobile Home Park, destroying at least 20 homes. Fortunately, park residents were warned and left in time for shelter. Later, one resident was concerned over not finding the frame to his trailer, fearing it would be a long, drawn out process over getting the insurance claim, if not found. At least several other homes along with a stone barn in that area were damaged or destroyed. The picture of the tornado to the left was taken only minutes after it struck Green Valley. It soon turned into a rope formation and dissipated. Reports of multiple tornadoes involved were believed to be erroneous.
On the OSU campus around 30 buildings were damaged with worst of it confined mostly to the east side. Among them, the OSU fire station had its cupola blown off. It landed upside down and partially through the station's roof, an unforgettable sight. Old Central had the upper portion of one wall blown out. Some of the other damaged buildings were Business Hall, Morrill Hall, Hanner Hall, Civil Engineering Lab, and Gunderson Hall. All together, at least a $1,000,000 worth of damage was done to the campus.
Near OSU, Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church had damage to the sanctuary. Heavy rain coming in ruined the organ. Downtown Stillwater stores had much awning, plate glass and roof damage. Police watching downtown prevented looting.
Much of southeast Stillwater was a mess of downed trees and blown off front porches. Several homes were heavily damaged by falling trees. Damage was worst near the corner of 14th and S. Perkins Rd. where two homes were unroofed.
No one knew exactly how high the wind blew. The wind gauge at the official weather station blew off the roof at 75 mph. The tornado was rated F3. Nine people were treated for injuries at the Stillwater hospital, none serious.
"It sounded like everything in the world was breaking," a resident near 14th and S. Perkins Rd., in reference to tornado while sheltered in her closet.
"I've lived here 50 years and I've never seen this. I hope I never see it again," a resident who lived near the mobile home park destroyed.
Sequence of events, June 13th 1975:
5:40PM - Civil defense observers sent out due to severe storm approaching the city.
6:17PM - National Weather Service in Oklahoma City reports tornado on radar six miles northwest of town.
6:25PM - Sirens sounded.
6:34PM - Power goes off on west side.
6:40PM - Power goes off downtown and at KSPI radio station. Sirens sounded again.
7:00PM - Radar indicates 2nd tornado. Sirens sound third time. Only heavy rain and small hail result.
7:30PM - Assistance from National Guard requested. 44 called out.
The Harrowing Drive Through the Tornado
I once rode out a tornado while in a car. It was probably the most frightening experience of my life. It was the Friday the 13th Stillwater, Oklahoma tornado from June of 1975. I was at home with my parents and a visiting nephew. Severe weather was forecasted that day. The time was around 6PM. I went outside to see if a storm was gathering. Was it ever. From SW to NE the sky was a very dark, ominous looking mess, all too typical and scary looking of a bad storm's approach. I went inside to hear what TV 9's weatherman, Gary England, from Oklahoma City thought about the storm. He believed radar indicated a tornado was forming. Very soon, sirens in Stillwater started sounding.
My father, nephew and myself watched toward the northwest for signs of a tornado coming. (This was unusual for it to be coming out of the NW, rather than SW.) We soon spotted something in the distance. Not a funnel, but rather a piece of debris floating high in the air. Like idiots, we all panicked and fled in the car, headed for shelter downtown in the Stillwater city hall basement. It was not quite a mile's drive away.
We were doing OK on the drive until just a block from city hall when hell started breaking loose. Suddenly, the wind erupted into a very loud roar. It made a pounding noise upon the car. With the roar going on, I looked outside and suddenly spotted pieces of roofing peeling off a large building - then Mac's Body Shop, now the Post Office - and going straight up in the air as if being sucked off by a vacuum high in the sky. But that awful view was instantly interrupted by the startling sound of a very loud blast. My nephew and I instinctively ducked down in the back seat faster than my mother could shout "get down!". While down, I sensed that the car was strangely wobbling, like some of the four wheels were not staying on the ground. But thankfully, the roaring wind stopped. I sensed the car had stopped, too. I raised up and found we were parked just outside city hall. We all rushed in to its basement.
There, I came across my neighbor lady. She was in a lot of distress, biting her fingernails, furiously going back and forth on them. As it turned out, she and her husband were actually crazy enough to follow us in their car in our mad dash. They said they had to dodge falling trees on the way.
The blast I heard was caused by the window on the driver's side of the car blowing out. While keeping control of the car, my father saw a pickup flip upside down. The side of our car that faced the tornadic winds looked like it had been sandblasted.
We drove back home, relieved to discover no damage to our home, aside from some shingles blown off. The only heartbreaking damage was to an elm tree in the front yard I used to play on as a kid. All major limbs on the tree were blown down. Later the tree died.
My family and I lucked out more than anything else with the Friday the 13th tornado. My mother, though, later had to go to an eye doctor to have something removed from her eye.
These days when there's a threat of a tornado I have the good sense now to stay home and take cover in my safe room of reinforced concrete blocks.
Listen to a 10 min. audio account of actual radio news reports and commentary on this tornado here.
Back on June 13th, 1975 a tornado coming from out of a dark and foreboding northwest sky struck Stillwater. Its path started near W. Lakeview and N. Western Rd. southeast to 14th and S. Perkins Rd. The tornado was not always on or near the ground, but did dip low at least three times, causing damage to the Oklahoma State University campus, downtown Stillwater and a residential neighborhood to the southeast. Once further southeast in a rural area on E. 32nd, the tornado dipped low again and wrecked the Green Valley Mobile Home Park, destroying at least 20 homes. Fortunately, park residents were warned and left in time for shelter. Later, one resident was concerned over not finding the frame to his trailer, fearing it would be a long, drawn out process over getting the insurance claim, if not found. At least several other homes along with a stone barn in that area were damaged or destroyed. The picture of the tornado to the left was taken only minutes after it struck Green Valley. It soon turned into a rope formation and dissipated. Reports of multiple tornadoes involved were believed to be erroneous.