Today marks the 50th anniversary of the Chatter Box Cafe explosion in Eagle Grove, which devastated downtown, and killed a total of fourteen people half a century ago. The Cafe, the Coast to Coast store, and a jewelry store were all destroyed in the explosion. The fatalities included 12 patrons and staff at the cafe, a tenant of an apartment above the Coast to Coast store, and a firefighter who died of a heart attack en route to the scene of the explosion.
The city was so decimated that it made international news, even featuring in the New York Times, and prompted a visit from the Governor to survey the damage.
In this issue we share with you historic photos and texts from our archives of the original coverage of this newspaper, of the aftermath of the tragic explosion.
