On 22 May 2011, an EF5 tornado — the most powerful category on the scale — cut a mile-wide path through the southern half of Joplin, killing 161 people and destroying or damaging more than eight thousand structures. It remains one of the deadliest tornadoes in United States history since records began.
The memorial at Cunningham Park marks the spot where the storm crossed with a series of iron pillars engraved with the names of those who died. The surrounding neighbourhood gives a sense of the rebuilding effort: many blocks are entirely new construction, and the rebuilt Joplin High School, opened in 2014 on the same site as the school destroyed in the storm, is a striking piece of architecture. The Joplin History and Mineral Museum has a permanent exhibit with footage and recovered objects from that day.