In the last post, we shared one family’s experience of being in the midst of a tornado in 1947, ala Dorothy style.

Here’s what Charlene Ford remembers in the aftermath:

“Many of our cows landed in the front yard. There was a hollow between the farmhouse and where they grazed — there’s no way they could have descended into the hollow and them climb back into our yard, yet several of them were standing by our front door (think “Twister”).”

She also recalls seeing one of their roosters inside the wheel of their car, another anomaly that is difficult to explain. Debris was everywhere, yet the house, handmade from solid oak, remained standing. It had, however, been lifted off of its foundation and landed 6 feet to the west (think Wizard of Oz).

In 1981, Charlene’s son, Russ Stockton took a class on meteorology at the University of Arkansas, and was amazed to discover that his grandfather’s farmhouse was famous in meteorology circles, and was known for the “Dorothy affect.”

Checking on Neighbors

Concerned for other area residents, they piled into their car to go check on them. Unfortunately, one family a few hundred yards away wasn’t as unscathed. A mother and her two year old daughter were blown out of their out and the child was ripped from the mother’s arms, killing her.

The origin of the tornado was in Bright Water, a community close to Rogers, AR and 5 miles due south from the Ford home. Some of Charlene’s family members were just a few hundred yards from where the tornado first touched down; amazingly, they hid under the Bright Water railroad bridge, and all survived:

Bright Water Railroad Bridge

Just about 100 yards from this bridge are all that remains of Bright Water:

Mr. and Mrs. Arch Blanchett, owners of the general store in Bright Water, were killed there; in all, 10 Arkansans perished, while 11 more in Missouri were killed.