For many residents of Michiana, the date April 11, 1965, brings chilling emotions to the forefront.
As late afternoon gave way to early darkness, more than four-dozen tornadoes twisted out of the sky, taking the lives of nearly 270 people across the upper Midwest.
Indiana was hit hardest, followed by Michigan. As people scrambled for cover from the tornadoes, which came with little warning, regional community became forever associated with Palm Sunday 1965.
Alto, LaGrange, Elkhart, Dunlap, Howe, Scott, Shipshewana, Coldwater, Hillsdale. All told, damage totaling $1.2 billion (in 1965 dollars) was reported.
The tornado systems skimmed the southern outskirts of Sturgis, causing damage along South Nottawa Street in Sturgis and beyond. The tornado struck the area at 6:45 p.m., several miles south and east through Fawn River and Honey Lake, leaving behind a wide path of devastation. It touched down on Bauman Road, near the Fawn River store, and from there reduced everything in its pa