Sargent County Museum roof collapses during blizzard

FORMAN, N.D. — Heavy snow from the current blizzard is being blamed for bringing down the roof on one of many buildings on the Sargent County Museum in rural Forman, North Dakota.

It crushed artifacts and historical past courting again to the early 1900s which are saved inside.

“Coronary heart-wrenching. All of the work that went into this and to see half the constructing gone,” mentioned museum supervisor Pat Olofson. “You may’t exchange what’s in a museum as a result of so lots of them are one in every of a form.”

It is believed the roof of the constructing got here down simply after 1 a.m. Thursday morning, April 6. That is when Olofson mentioned the alarm went off.

“Had sufficient stress when the entire constructing imploded, it hit this massive tractor right here, this Reeves. It bounced into the door and bounced again,” she mentioned.

Rudy Rathert owns lots of the 30 tractors inside. You may barely see the exhausts protruding above the snow.

“Ones again to 1909, 10, and up into the kids. Massive ones, massive heavy iron, prairie tractors they name them,” Rathert mentioned.

Additionally feared to be misplaced are the information reproduction retailer and the cook dinner automobile assortment.

It is believed the whole assortment is value tens of millions, and isn’t coated by insurance coverage since insuring uncommon artifacts will be costly.

“It is fairly disheartening,” Rathert mentioned.

Additionally disheartening is that this was virtually averted. When the roof began leaking in an adjoining constructing final week, the museum supervisor put out a name to clear a couple of foot of snow off the tin roof buildings.

“They saved telling me after this subsequent snowstorm we will probably be there,” she mentioned concerning the response.

Thursday, almost a dozen volunteers confirmed up immediately to assist clear almost 3 ft of snow off the museum’s greatest constructing, together with Brody Ennis who known as the collapse “thoughts blowing.”

“All of that caved in. It is fairly loopy,” Ennis mentioned.

There’s worry that constructing could also be in jeopardy of collapsing too as a result of the lights seemed to be bowed.

“We have already misplaced one constructing, lets hopefully save among the others,” Olofson mentioned.

As soon as the museum will get the OK to get the gathering out, the large query then turns into the place do they put it till a brand new constructing is constructed.

Matt Henson is an Emmy award-winning reporter/photographer/editor for WDAY. Previous to becoming a member of WDAY in 2019, Matt was the principle anchor at WDAZ in Grand Forks for 4 years. He was born and raised within the suburbs of Philadelphia and attended school at Lyndon State Faculty in northern Vermont, the place he was acknowledged twice nationally, together with first place, by the Nationwide Academy for Arts and Science for tv manufacturing. Matt enjoys being a voice for the little man. He focuses on crimes and courts and investigative tales. Simply as typically, he shares tear-jerking tales and tales of accomplishment. Matt enjoys touring to small cities throughout North Dakota and Minnesota to share their tales. He will be reached at mhenson@wday.com and at 610-639-9215. When he is not at work (uncommon) Matt resides in Moorhead and enjoys spending time together with his daughter, {golfing} and attending Bison and Sioux video games.