Tornados on June 6, 1917 caused over $500,000 in damage throughout the county, with 150 buildings on 50 farms hit. Rated "F4" on the Fujita scale, it killed two and injured 27 others, was 500 yards wide, and traveled 26 miles on the ground.

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Damage reports

• Springport, Jackson County. 2 killed, 15 homes destroyed. [1]
• Rogers Corners, Freedom Township. Zion Lutheran Church facade, roof, steeple, and nearby parsonage damaged by tornado. [2] [3]
• Sharon Township. Sharon Township Hall and Methodist church destroyed, corner of Pleasant Lake and Sylvan Rd. [4]
• Delhi. East Delhi Bridge and 15 homes destroyed. [5] [6] [7] Never recovered from damage.
• Worden, Salem Township. Church, an 1880 school, a blacksmith shop, and a sawmill all destroyed.

The Washtenaw County Red Cross was formed in response to the tornado. [8] (PDF)

Sources

• Paul Gross WDIV-TV Meteorologist, Executive Producer of Weather, and Author of "Extreme Michigan Weather: The Wild World of the Great Lakes State"
• "Significant Tornadoes"
• Electric Railway Service, June 15, 1917
• Electric Railway Journal, June 16, 1917

• Bell Telephone News, August 1917