1905 tornado in Alta Vista, Kansas
Creator: McCoy, W. A.
Date: May 13, 1905
Photographs of a tornado passing over Alta Vista, Kansas, on May 13, 1905.

1966 Topeka tornado
Creator: Fisher, Gail
Date: June 1966
Here are 16 slides showing damage caused by the 1966 tornado in downtown and residential areas in Topeka, Kansas. Several buildings are visible in the slides including the National Reserve Life, Topeka bus barn, Kansas State Capitol and printing plant, and KPL buildings.

Aerial views of the 1966 Topeka tornado's path
Creator: Aerial Photography International, Inc.
Date: June 10, 1966
Here are 38 aerial photographs showing the path of the 1966 Topeka tornado. Registered as an F5, the powerful storm traveled from the southwest of the city to the northeast, causing the deaths of 17 people, and more than $104 million in damage. The tornado was on the ground for 34 minutes, and left a path of destruction 21 miles long and one-half mile wide.

Aftermath of June 8, 1966, Topeka tornado
Date: June 1966
These eighteen color slides show scenes of the destruction after the June 8, 1966, Topeka tornado. The first seven were shot from the top of the Statehouse, and one shows the damage to the Capitol dome. The next seven show damage to cars and buildings in the downtown area, including the water tower at 11th and Kansas Avenue, Brier Insurance, and Dependable Cars. One shows a National Guardsman directing traffic. The last four photos were taken from Burnett's Mound looking north. All the photographs were taken by Walter Fredericksen, who worked for the State Highway Commission in Topeka at the time.

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company shops Topeka, Kansas
Creator: Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway Company
Date: June 8, 1966
This photograph shows tornado damage to the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company shops in Topeka, Kansas.

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe shop after a tornado strike, Topeka, Kansas
Creator: Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway Company
Date: June 8, 1966
This photograph shows the damage to an Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe shop after a 1966 tornado strike in Topeka, Kansas.

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe shop after a tornado strike, Topeka, Kansas
Creator: Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway Company
Date: June 8, 1966
This is a photograph of Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe shops after a 1966 tornado strike in Topeka, Kansas.

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe shop damage after a tornado strike, Topeka, Kansas
Creator: Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway Company
Date: June 8, 1966
This is a photograph of Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe shop damage after a 1966 tornado strike in Topeka, Kansas.

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe shop damage after a tornado strike, Topeka, Kansas
Creator: Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway Company
Date: June 8, 1966
This is a photograph of Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe shop damage after a 1966 tornado strike in Topeka, Kansas.

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe shop damage after a tornado strike, Topeka, Kansas
Creator: Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway Company
Date: June 8, 1966
This is a photograph of Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe shop damage after a 1966 tornado strike in Topeka, Kansas.

August Meseke property after tornado, Alta Vista, Kansas
Date: 1912
Photograph of an ominous sky as August Meseke (far right), a noted businessman in Alta Vista, Kansas, and others examine the damage from the 1912 tornado that struck the town.

Ballot box fragment
Date: 1882
Shallow rectangular pine ballot box with irregular sides and no lid. Portion of a ballot box used at the Stafford County seat election on Apr 5th, 1882. Before the polls closed, a tornado struck the building in which the election was held. The box was carried a half mile by the storm, and the ballots it contained were never found. Stafford was defeated by St. John in a follow-up election for the Stafford County seat. A white paper label adhered to the box's underside relates the story.

Capitol, Topeka, Kansas
Date: June 1966
This black and white photograph shows damage to trees near the capitol in Topeka, Kansas. The destruction was a result of the June 8, 1966 tornado that began on the southwest side of the city and moved northeast toward the downtown area. The tornado cut a four block wide and eight mile long swath of destruction through the capital city.

Charles Herman photograph collection
Creator: Herman, Charles L., 1922-2010
Date: 1960-1980
Photographs taken by Charles Herman, a long-time resident of Alma, Kansas. He was born on May 19, 1922 in Alma, Kansas and lived at 222 West 1st Street. He was a charter member of the Wabaunsee County Historical Society. His photographs were trademarked with blue sky and puffy white clouds. Herman died on December 19, 2010.

Church building in Seguin, Kansas
Date: 1905; copyright 1910
This photograph of a church in Seguin, Sheridan County, Kansas was possibly taken in 1908. Part of the structure has been destroyed probably due to high winds or tornado.

David H. Fisher Jr. oral history
Creator: Fisher, David H. Jr.
Date: April 4, 2008
Topeka, Kansas, resident David H. Fisher, Jr. relates his experience during the June 8, 1966, tornado in Topeka.

Edward Scheufler interview, WWII oral history, Belpre, Kansas
Creator: Scheufler, Edward E.
Date: March 20, 2009
This is an interview with Edward Scheufler, part of an oral history project entitled "Patchwork of Dependency: The Effects of WWII on Edwards County, Kansas" conducted by the Kinsley Public Library. The project was supported by a Kansas Humanities Council Heritage Grant. Edward talks of his family, education, military career, and the home front during WWII.

Emergency pass
Creator: Topeka Police Department
Date: 1966
A Topeka Police Department emergency pass. The pass was given to C.E. Ritchey to allow him access to his home after an F5 tornado hit Topeka, Kansas, on June 8, 1966. Mr. Ritchey's home was located at 1518 Washburn and was in the path of the tornado, which formed near Auburn and dissipated near Billiard Airport, causing a 22-mile path of destruction. It killed 16 people, injured over 500, and caused more than $200 million in damages.

Governor Clyde M. Reed correspondence, Red Cross
Creator: Kansas. Governor (1929-1931 : Reed)
Date: 1929-1931
This file includes subject correspondence relating to the Red Cross. Topics in the correspondence cover but is not limited to disaster relief plans, Mississippi Valley Flood relief in 1927, and tornado disaster relief. This file is part of a bigger collection of Governor Clyde M. Reed correspondence.

Greensburg street sign
Date: 2007
Homemade street sign constructed of a 2" by 4" piece of wood and two rectangular-shaped pieces of plywood. Street names (Main and Scott) are spray painted in green on plywood (both front and back). Rectangular pieces of white coreplast, with names printed in large, computer-generated black letters, are nailed over the spray painted names. This street sign was put up by the City of Greensburg, Kansas, after the town was struck by an EF5 tornado on May 4, 2007. The tornado was 1.7 miles wide and traveled over 20 miles. Ninety-five percent of Greensburg was destroyed. These signs were used temporarily until permanent signs could be put into place. Since the tornado, the citizens have focused on rebuilding the town to be more environmentally sustainable.

Jefferson County courthouse in Oskaloosa, Kansas
Creator: Harvey, John
Date: 1960
A photograph showing an unidentified man pointing to the Jefferson County courthouse in Oskaloosa, Kansas. It was damaged by a tornado on May 1, 1960.

Joe Campbell home after tornado, Rossville, Kansas
Date: 1960
A photograph of the Joe Campbell home after a May 19, 1960 tornado. Either partial or total destruction of seventy-five farms and homes were reported from this storm that happened in the late afternoon. There were no deaths in the area. This photograph is provided through a pilot project to host unique cultural heritage materials from local libraries on Kansas Memory and was accomplished by mutual agreement between the Northeast Kansas Library System, the Rossville Community Library, and the Kansas Historical Society.

Julius A. Brosa farmstead after tornado, Valley Falls, Kansas
Date: June 2017
A photograph of the Julius A.Brosa farmstead after a tornado, Valley Falls, Kansas.

Julius A. Brosa farmstead after tornado, Valley Falls, Kansas
Date: June 1917
A photograph of the Julius A.Brosa farmstead after a tornado, Valley Falls, Kansas.

Julius A. Brosa farmstead after tornado, Valley Falls, Kansas
Date: June 1917
A photograph of the Julius A.Brosa farmstead after a tornado, Valley Falls, Kansas.