At 7.07 p.m. on Monday, March 8, 1909, the town of Brinkley, Arkansas, with around 4,000 people, was hit by a tornado (or cyclone as the U.S. Weather Bureau preferred to call them until 1950 to reduce public panic) destroying much of the town. Fires broke out but a heavy rain prevented them from spreading. Over 800 buildings were destroyed, including 260 homes, and around 2,000 other buildings were damaged over the tornado's 15-mile path. Thirty-five people were killed or died of their injuries (other estimates suggest 49 in the area) with around 250 people suffering injuries. Damage was estimated at $2 million dollars. The town received donations of money and supplies in the days that followed, including two trains carrying prisoners sent by the Governor to help with the cleanup. Fifty-eight people were killed in total across Arkansas because of tornadoes that day.
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