Depauw, Indiana: Difference between revisions

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Depauw was [[plat]]ted in 1884.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BJpuAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA71 | title=Indiana's Birthplace: A History of Harrison County, Indiana | publisher=Tribune Company, Printers | author=Roose, William H. | year=1911 | pages=71}}</ref> According to one source, the community may be named for [[Washington C. DePauw]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Baker|first=Ronald L.|title=From Needmore to Prosperity: Hoosier Place Names in Folklore and History|url=https://archive.org/details/fromneedmoretopr00bake|url-access=registration|date=October 1995|publisher=Indiana University Press|isbn=978-0-253-32866-3|page=[https://archive.org/details/fromneedmoretopr00bake/page/113 113]|quote=...perhaps for industrialist Washington C. DePauw ...}}</ref> Depauw has faced many kinds of natural disasters in the past. Depauw has had fires with one occurring in 1940 and one occurring on July 4th, 1951. The one in 1940 burned buildings on the east side of S.R. 337 and the one in 1951 destroyed the depot and a store that was adjacent to the depot. “They always said Depauw would be as big as New York City if it hadn’t burned down.” — Arthur Atkins. Other natural disasters that Depauw faced were tornadoes. The most violent tornadoes recorded include one on April 3, 1903, two on April 3, 1974, one on April 5, 1985, and one on June 2, 1990. By far the worst tornado was one that went right through Depauw in 1974. On April 3, 1974 at around 3:20 PM, an [[Fujita scale|F5 tornado]] hit Depauw, leaving some of the mobile homes and houses completely demolished. This tornado had formed near New Boston, IN. It kept heading east passing just west of Frenchtown, IN and then the tornado hit Depauw. Many of the Depauw locals who didn’t have a basement quickly rushed to people’s homes that did have one. The tornado went through Depauw and then it headed northeast towards [[Palmyra, Indiana|Palmyra, IN]] after Depauw. The tornado kept its strength all the way to Daisy Hill, IN. Sometime after the tornado had died out, the U.S. National Guard as well as some journalists arrived in Depauw to check the village out. The only reported fatality in Depauw was a woman killed in her mobile home. In the end, the tornado ended up killing 6 people and injuring 76 people in the incredible 68 miles (110 km) it was on the ground. The Depauw tornado was 1.6 miles (2.5 km) wide and was the first of many other F5 tornadoes that were to form on that same day in the midwest and in the south. One of the other tornadoes that formed later that day was another F5 tornado near Depauw. Luckily, the second F5 near Depauw wasn’t close enough to cause major damage. It didn’t get closer than 11 miles (18 km) from Depauw. There were plenty of other tornadoes on the same day in other parts of the midwest and in the south like the one in Depauw. The series of tornadoes that occurred on that day was part of what was known as the 1974 Super Outbreak.<ref>[[1974 Super Outbreak]]</ref>▼