May 2, 1890 – A 66 lb. fragment from the Forest City meteor sets off a competition between Iowa and Minnesota.
The Forest City Meteorite appeared out of the west about 5:15 pm on May 2, 1890, momentarily outshining the sun in a cloudless sky. With a head compared to the size of a full moon, observers reported a roaring sound – “sputtering” and throwing off a long train of sparks and trailing a heavy line of black smoke. As observed from Grinnell – about 100 miles away – the meteor required only a few seconds to pass from horizon to horizon. Other sightings of the meteorite were reported from Chamberlain (South Dakota), Sioux City, Humboldt, Ruthven, Des Moines, and Mason City. The meteorite exploded about 11 miles northwest of Forest City raining rock fragments on an area about four miles long and 1.5 to 2 miles wide near the town of Thompson. Thousands of pieces of the Forest City Meteorite, totaling about 269 pounds, were recovered, the largest weighing 81, 75, and 66 pounds.
Read this entertaining side-story about SUI Law School graduate – Judge Charles B. Elliott – and his meteorite adventure from Minnesota into Iowa.
READ MORE ABOUT THIS IOWA STORY HERE.
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