On June 30 1912, Regina was the victim of the most destructive tornado in Canadian history, leaving 28 people dead and 2,500 homeless. The aftermath, which shaped the city’s physical environment and burdened the community financially and psychologically, forever changed the city.
The tornado’s legacy is still being felt today, but when the Regina Plains Museum began planning a new exhibition on the subject, it faced a dilemma: what could a new retrospective offer on a story that had been told so many times? A search through the museum’s collection provided the inspiration and the answer in the form of a large stained glass window dating from 1912 salvaged from the Knox Presbyterian Church. The window, which escaped extensive damage from the tornado, provides a glimpse into the cascade of events and their repercussions that began on that terrible day.
This exhibition, which offers a look through a window into the Regina tornado of 1912, explores how the forces of nature shaped the spirit of a city.