So That's Why They Call It "New" Richmond...

One this date in 1899, Wisconsin's most devastating twister ripped through a small farming community in Saint Croix County called Richmond.

117 people were killed and 150 others were injured when a tornado roared into Richmond, reducing the business district to rubble, destroying many Victorian neighborhoods and killing 400 animals. Most victims are buried in St. Croix County. Thirty gravesites cannot be accounted for. Four of the 117 people killed were never identified. The four are buried at Immaculate Conception Church Cemetery in New Richmond. When the town was rebuilt, the name "New" was added to it.

This still rates as one of the worst tornados in US history. Read more.