Regina marks 100th anniversary of 1912 tornado

People in Regina spent the weekend marking the 100th anniversary of Canada's deadliest tornado, which killed 28 people in 1912.

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The twister tore through Regina on June 30, 1912, reducing much of city to splinters.

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the disaster, officials unveiled a downtown wall mural, a cairn in Victoria Park and a 1.8-metre lit sculpture in the warehouse district.

"We really felt that having these art installations and having stories accompanying those art installations [will] enable future generations to take that tour and see what the city is all about," said Judith Veresuk, who works with the downtown district.

Downtown Coun. Fred Clipsham said it's important to honour those who helped to rebuild the young, devastated Queen City.

"Having the record for the most lives lost of any Canadian weather event, wow!" Clipsham said.

"But the resilience of the people to rebuild their city after such a terrible blow, I think that's a story that really is worth commemerating."

Few survivors remain

A century later, the Regina tornado still holds the Canadian record for the deadliest weather event in history.

Only a few survivors remain alive today, including Ainslie MacKinnon, who was an infant when the twister destroyed her family's home.

"The roof came off the house. All the windows were blown out and a great portion of the house was left in devastation," said Christine Kilpatrick, MacKinnon's daughter.

"So this has become part of the family lore and has been handed down from generation to generation, and will continue to be."

Kilpatrick said the quick thinking of her grandfatherMacKinnon's father ensured the family escaped unharmed.

"The cyclone struck and was heading down the street, and my grandfather gathered the family under a supporting beam," she said. "He thought that would be the safest place, and as it turned out, it indeed was."

MacKinnon recently celebrated her 100th birthday.