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After the Storm, Williston, N.D.
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| Title | After the Storm, Williston, N.D. |
| Date of Original | 1907-07-20 |
| Description | Two men examine the wreckage after the storm. On the left side of the photograph, a man is walking toward the wreckage from neighboring houses. Among the debris of this wrecked house are lumber, chairs, trunks, textiles, tables, and other furniture. At the bottom right of the photograph is a cart loaded with lumber. Behind the men, a largely intact roof lies on the ground. This may be a storm shelter. Several houses can be seen in the background. |
| General Subject | Weather
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| Subject (LCTGM) | Storms
Debris
Men
Lumber
Barrels
Houses
Chairs
Luggage
Textiles
Tables
Furniture
Carts & wagons
Roofs
Storm shelters
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| Location | Williston (N.D.)
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| Decade | 1900-1909
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| Item Number | 1-81A-8 |
| Negative Number | 1-81A-8 |
| Format of Original | Glass negatives
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| Dimensions of Original | 4 x 6 in. |
| Transcription | "Storm 1907 Williston, N.D."--Handwritten on front of negative. |
| Notes | Title created by staff. |
| Biography/History | William E. "Bill" Shemorry was a native of Williston, N.D. who began work in the newspaper industry as a newsboy selling the Williston Herald and the Williams County Farmers Press. In 1953, he started to publish the Williston Plains Reporter, which he operated for 25 years before selling to the Williston Herald. Shemorry then began to concentrate on his own writing and photography. In addition to writing many books on the history of Williams County, he also collected photographs of early North Dakota photographers. Shemorry was an active member of the Williston Fire Department, was Civil Defense Chief of Williams County for three years in the 1950's, and was a combat photographer in World War II. Shemorry's photograph of the discovery of oil in North Dakota on April 4, 1951 at the Clarence Iverson No. 1 is one of the most famous oil photographs ever taken, and was published in many national publications.
Through the years, Williston has been the victim of storms a number of times, but probably the one which did the most damage both to property and people alike was the great windstorm of 1907.
It was 7 p.m., Saturday, July 20, when the storm struck, almost without warning. In most homes, people were just finishing their evening meals, and being so occupied, few of them saw the approaching clouds and thus were unprepared.
The Williston Graphic described the onset of the storm as follows: |
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