Tornado Outbreak of November 20, 1883

A tornado outbreak on November 20, 1883, killed a man and fatally injured another man in Johnson County and killed two people in Franklin County while causing extensive damage, especially in Johnson County.

The Arkansas Gazette reported that the Johnson County cyclone was “coming apparently from the west and going northeast, crossing the railroad east of Altus.” In Johnson County, “Smith Tomblin, a newcomer from Tennessee, was killed by fallen timbers” and Thomas Sword died of his injuries. In Franklin County the “little son” of H. P. Berry was killed when their house was destroyed, and tenant farmer John Bonner was fatally injured; Bonner’s wife also suffered severe injuries.

The Clarksville Laborer’s Herald, in an article reprinted in the Gazette, reported that four additional people suffered fatal wounds in Johnson County and that at least twenty-one others were injured, adding that “we have not noted many reported injuries to persons because they were merely rumors, and the whole is much greater than we have given.”

The article chronicled the devastation of households from Horsehead Creek to Pilot Rock with short entries such as “Cane Jones, everything swept entirely away,” “James Griffin, dwelling and other buildings blown to pieces—himself and wife probably fatally injured,” “G. W. Doolin, large dwelling house moved from foundation and almost a wreck; a tenant house blown to atoms,” and “James Clevenger lost all, the wind making a clean sweep.”

On the day following the tornadoes that struck Johnson and Franklin counties, Izard County was hit by a tornado that caused catastrophic damage in Melbourne (Izard County) and LaCrosse (Izard County), spurring donations of money and materials from around the state. This was detrimental to relief efforts in Johnson County; the Gazette reported in early December that county representatives had reached out to the Pulaski County sheriff, saying that “there was much suffering in that county from the devastations of the recent storms and asking for aid,” but the sheriff was not authorized to send “any of the collections to any place but Izard county.”

For additional information:
“The Cyclone’s Ravages.” Arkansas Gazette, November 29, 1883, p. 2.

“Destruction in Franklin County.” Arkansas Gazette, November 24, 1883, p. 1.

“Johnson County Cyclone 1883.” Johnson County Historical Journal 20 (October 1994): 26–29.

“Local Paragraphs.” Arkansas Gazette, December 7, 1883, p. 8.

“Wild Work at Johnson County.” Arkansas Gazette, November 24, 1883, p. 1.

Mark K. Christ
Little Rock, Arkansas