WLM WLM Summer 2018 | Page 40

WLM | history I took the images to Cindy at the archives desk and asked. Her response was the Great Flood of 1912, and in a true Wyoming moment, she advised I call her friend Sylvia Bruner at the Johnson County Jim Gatchell Memorial Museum -- she’s an expert. Indeed! Sylvia sent me an email with information from their exhibit on the fl ood, which is our inset here. However, I would encourage you to visit the museum this summer and see the full exhibit for yourself – along with more exhibits about this beautiful area! Many thanks to Sylvia for her helpfulness and quick response. Also visit our blog on our website (wyolifestyle.com) to learn more about the museum’s exciting re-accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums! I wanted our feature here to resemble our time capsule idea, so I included a couple images about the fl ood, but added in some others from both the 19 th and 20 th centuries. Are these pictures related? Nope – that’s the joy of the time capsule idea. I hope you enjoy these features as much as I enjoy putting them together! If you have a community you want to see us focus on next, shoot me a line at [email protected]! W L M 38 Wyoming Lifestyle Magazine | Summer 2018 The Flood of 1912 – from Johnson County Jim Gatchell Memorial Museum Cause of the Flood of 1912 “A gigantic head of water precipitated by a cloudburst between the Soldiers and Sailors’ Home and the Big Horn Mountains bears down upon the unsuspecting city …” -Buffalo Bulletin, June 13, 1912 A cloudburst is a sudden rainstorm usually preceded by a thunderstorm, hail, or sleet. It typically ends in a fl ood due to the air mass being pushed up from the sudden formation of the clouds in one area. When the air currents stop moving, the rain falls straight down. Between 7:30 p.m. and midnight, the June 11, 1912 cloudburst dropped up to six feet of water on Buffalo. Why There Was So Much Damage “The water … was soon out of the bank of the river [Clear Creek] and still rising … was dammed up behind the buildings each way from the creek, and was pouring like mill races through the alleys and the spaces between the buildings: soon rear doors gave way and buildings fi lled instantly to such a depth that the pressure tore out the fronts or broke the windows of the obstructing buildings.” -Buffalo Bulletin, June 13, 1912 Much of the damage to the buildings along Main Street was caused by the volume and pressure of the water. The laundry building attached to the back of the Occidental Hotel was carried away by the water and lodged against the bridge. Like a cork in a bottle, the laundry building caused the water to increase in pressure and depth. The water went where it could, punching through walls and doors, and lifting store fl oors several feet. Furniture and merchandise were swept through the stores into the streets, causing many citizens to “pan” the streets for jewelry and gold. Mud deposited by the fl ood was sometimes four to six feet deep.