The Park

The Storm

Pictures

Tornado Information

Tornado Safety

References

Home

-picture courtesy of Brunet Island State Park

On July 30th, 1977 conditions were perfect to spawn a tornado at Brunet Island State Park in Cornell, Wisconsin. The park rangers were well aware of the weather conditions and the actions that needed to be taken to prevent loss of life and property. In as little as seven minutes, all 69 campsites were evacuated and all 220 campers on the island were inside the park shop for shelter. At 8:02 p.m., a tornado touched down in the heart of the island. The touchdown only lasted about two minutes, but much devastation was done in that time.

Due the heavy rains and high wind speeds, many trees had been blown down across the road into the park. Campers were not able to get back into the park that night to asses the damage. The residents of Cornell opened their homes to accommodate the stranded campers.

The next day, the recovery effort began. At least six campers were destroyed and several tents were gone. In one area on the park, a picnic table was destroyed while a complete place setting on a table right next to the site was left untouched. (see pictures)

Salvage operations continued at the park through the fall of 1977. There were 542,731 board feet and 801.8 cords of pulp collected from the downed trees. Ninety percent of the wood was Hemlock. Most of the trees had been 75 to 100 years old and stood 60 to 70 feet tall. (see pictures)

Overall, the tornado leveled an 18 acre plot of hemlock trees in the center of the island. Due to all the debris, the park remained closed until the spring of 1978. Today, the impact of the tornado can still be scene. Now birch trees have regenerated in the area that was once home to huge hemlocks. (see pictures)