Burnet marks 50 years since tornado tests city courage

Hill Country residents endure ‘finest hour’

  • The Texas 29 and U.S. 281 intersection in Burnet was demolished by a tornado March 10, 1973. File photo
    The Texas 29 and U.S. 281 intersection in Burnet was demolished by a tornado March 10, 1973. File photo
  • Two days after a tornado struck Burnet during March 10, 1973, Galloway Insurance agent Jerry Cozby presents to Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Graves a check to pay for damages the wild wind did to their home. File photo
    Two days after a tornado struck Burnet during March 10, 1973, Galloway Insurance agent Jerry Cozby presents to Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Graves a check to pay for damages the wild wind did to their home. File photo
  • Raymond V. Whelan/Bulletin Joppa resident Millie Williams stands close to the site in Burnet at Jackson and West streets where her family lived in Burnet through a tornado March 10, 1973.
    Raymond V. Whelan/Bulletin Joppa resident Millie Williams stands close to the site in Burnet at Jackson and West streets where her family lived in Burnet through a tornado March 10, 1973.
  • Raymond V. Whelan/Bulletin Some Burnet residents believe one scrap of metal stuck in one tree at Hamilton Creek Park near Jackson and West streets came from the tornado which struck Burnet during the early morning of March 10, 1973.
    Raymond V. Whelan/Bulletin Some Burnet residents believe one scrap of metal stuck in one tree at Hamilton Creek Park near Jackson and West streets came from the tornado which struck Burnet during the early morning of March 10, 1973.
  • A few days after a tornado struck Burnet March 10, 1973, the Highlander published a map of the storm’s path Raymond V. Whelan/Bulletin
    A few days after a tornado struck Burnet March 10, 1973, the Highlander published a map of the storm’s path Raymond V. Whelan/Bulletin
  • The Austin American-Statesman headline proclaims the disaster which struck Burnet March 10, 1973. The photo beneath depicts Burnet resident A.M. Gibbs in his home near Hamilton Creek Park, sifting through rubble caused by the storm. Contributed/AA-S/Tom Lankes
    The Austin American-Statesman headline proclaims the disaster which struck Burnet March 10, 1973. The photo beneath depicts Burnet resident A.M. Gibbs in his home near Hamilton Creek Park, sifting through rubble caused by the storm. Contributed/AA-S/Tom Lankes
  • The Burnet Presbyterian Church steeple at 101 S. Pierce keeled over as a tornado ripped the city March 10, 1973. File photo
    The Burnet Presbyterian Church steeple at 101 S. Pierce keeled over as a tornado ripped the city March 10, 1973. File photo
  • Raymond V. Whelan/Bulletin The wall which stands near the Jackson Street and U.S. 281 intersection between AA Best Bail Bonds and Shell & Shell Attorneys could be all that remains of wreckage caused by a tornado which struck Burnet March 10, 1973, according to longtime resident Perry Goble.
    Raymond V. Whelan/Bulletin The wall which stands near the Jackson Street and U.S. 281 intersection between AA Best Bail Bonds and Shell & Shell Attorneys could be all that remains of wreckage caused by a tornado which struck Burnet March 10, 1973, according to longtime resident Perry Goble.
Most Burnet residents immediately deemed the terrible tornado that roared through their town as both their worst nightmare and stunning reality. “Its path left destruction amounting to many millions of dollars,” according to the Burnet Bulletin front-page story published by Lowell C. Welch six days after the storm. About 4:06 a.m. Saturday, March 10, 1973 in Burnet, all hell broke loose. As…

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