Great Cyclones of the Prairie

It you go looking for major cyclones (tornados) in the Plains during the 1800s you will find that the year 1882 was a devastating year for Kansas:

Rice County, Kansas 1882. Completely destroyed everything built, farmed or stored. There were few survivors.

Emporia, Kansas 1882 - sudden and destructive

What did the pioneers of the Plains do when a tornado was coming? The same thing they do today, they ran down into the cellars. Cellars were built into the ground and had doors that opened out and locked behind them. The cellar walls were earthen, as was the floor. Insides were damp and cool for storage of food. It wasn't a pleasant place to stay for any length of time and often the cyclone would blow off any doors not secured well and suck out the food and people hiding below.