This event is generally referred to as the Staples earthquake, but I have relocated the epicenter 11 km (7 miles) farther east and prefer to associate it with the town of Motley.

Upham (1917) reported on 19 October 1917 to the Seismological Society of America:

"On September 3, (1917) at 3:30 p.m. a quake was felt upon a considerable area of central Minnesota, probably perceptibly affecting fully 10,000 or even 20,000 square miles, that is, about a eighth or a quarter of the whole state. It was most severe at Staples, a railway village and junction in the north edge of Todd county, where the shocks lasted more than 20 seconds; goods on shelves in stores were knocked down, and many windows were broken, chimneys toppled over, and concrete walks were cracked. At very closely the same time it was sensibly felt in Little Falls, Brainerd, and St. Cloud, but with little damage. In Minneapolis, 120 miles southeast from Staples, a few people noticed the shock; also about 3:30 p.m., houses trembled, pictures on the wall shook, curtains moved, and the windows rattled, and boys playing in a park 'felt the ground wiggle.' "

Earthquake effects included cracked walls, broken windows, and falling chimneys. The Minneapolis Tribune of 4 September 1917 notes that "many windows and chimneys were broken at Staples as well as at Brainerd, Little Falls, and other places." A crack appeared in the concrete floor of the vault of the city clerk's office in Staples. Windows, stoves, and dishes rattled, and goods were shaken off shelves.