Missouri River and other flooding
MISSOURI RIVER FLOOD HISTORY
FLOODS THAT HAVE EFFECTED
ST JOSEPH & ELWOOD, KANSAS


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JUNE 2,1925 FLOOD
ST JOSEPH NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS

Photo #1 - Donald Frazer, 835 South 20th, put his Maxwell Coupe in it's garage last night, but found it moved into a nearby ditch this morning. A barn and a garage were also damaged
Photo #2 - 28th & Jules Street - Looking east
Photo #3 - 4 foot deep water on Lafayette near the CB&Q railroad track at 19th Street. A garage was swept away and several houses were damaged
Photo #4 - A stream of water rushed through the State Highway's garage at 26th & Messanie Street damaging the 12 motor cars that was stored there
Photo #5 - This frame building at 2416 Messanie Street was flattened after it's foundation was washed away
Photo #6 - Bridge at unknown location
Photo #7 - June 3, 1925 St Joseph News Press headlines
Photo #8 - Roof of the building occupied by the Webster Cafeteria at 814 Felix which caved had caved it
Photo #9 - The stone retaining wall at 15th & Jules Street. on the J. G. Parkinson property, held up the Jules Street cars when it fell into the street
Photo #10 - Rain storm statistics




THE 1949 MISSOURI RIVER FLOOD

Heavy rains on June 28, 1949 caused flooding from Omaha, Nebraska to St Joseph, Missouri causing minor damages



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Circa April 1952
THE 1952 MISSOURI RIVER FLOOD

The winter of 1951-52 brought heavy snowfall and was followed by warmer than usual spring temperatures, creating favorable conditions for a flood of great proportions

The Flood Control Act of 1944 approved numerous dams on the main stem Missouri River and its tributaries with a major focus on flood control

But construction of these projects was ongoing and by the flood of 52, none of the newly approved dams were complete

Melting of the snowpack began in late March on the Yellowstone River, while the ice was still thick on the main stem Missouri

The Yellowstone River crested on March 31st, creating a slow chain reaction in ice breakup along the Missouri River

A series of ice dams followed by flood pulses characterized the beginnings of this record flood

Major flooding occurred not only on the main stem Missouri River but on many of its tributaries of the Missouri River

At St. Joseph the Missouri cut off a sharp bend, shortening its channel and cutting off access to Rosecrans Memorial Airport

The Missouri River flood of 1952 was estimated to have caused damages of $179 million and displaced 87,000 people

Small ferries were used to carry autos across the Missouri river during periods of flooding
Photo #2 - April 13, 1952 St Joseph News Press photograph
Photo #3 - April 15, 1952 St Joseph News Press Headline
Photo #4 - Merry-Go-Round animals raised to ceiling for protection
Photo #5 - April 16, 1952 St Joseph News Press Headline
Photo #6 - Rosecrans AIrport with 5-6 foot flood waters
Photo #7 - April 25, 1952 SJ NP Photo - Bean Lake Flooded
Photo #8 - April 26, 1952 SJ NP Photo - French Bottoms citizens stay
Photo #9 - May 5, 1952 SJ NP Photo - ferry used since US 36 was unusable




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FLOODS AND WIND STORM EFFECTED
LAKE CONTRARY AMUSEMENT PARK
  • 1949 - The park was flooded - 4 feet of water but the amusement park recovered
  • 1952 - The park was flooded - 9 feet of water - several rides were destroyed
  • 1962 - A storm blew a tree onto the Giant Dipper roller coaster - $15,000 damage
  • 1964 - The park closed permanently due to excessive repair cost

    • Giant Dipper Roller Coaster (engulfed in water in 2 floods)
    Giant Dipper Roller Coaster (tree crashes into the coaster)
    Carousel or Merry-Go-Round Ride (engulfed in water)

    Photo #1 - 1952 flood photo
    Photo #2 - Giant Dipper, 1962 windstorm, sold for $100 in 1964
    Photo #3 - June 1962 photo of destruction caused by high winds
    Photo #4 - Carousel or Merry-Go-Round engulfed in deep water






    1952 FLOOD
    NATIONAL MEAT & GROCERY
    5405 Lake Avenue

    5405 Lake Avenue
    Photo #2 taken during 1952 flood




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    1952 FLOOD PHOTOS


    Photo #1 - 1952 photo showing them changing the river channel
    Photo #2 - Levy photo
    Photo #3 - 1952 flood view from Wyeth Hill
    Photo #4 - 1952 flood damage, US HIghway 36 near Elwood
    Photo #5 - Cars waiting on a barge to be taken across the flooded Missouri river
    Photo #6 - Rosecrans Airfield flooded
    Photo #7 - View from the Kansas side
    Photo #8 - 1952 Rosecrans Field with 5 feet water - submitted by Michael Miller




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    AFTER THE 1952 FLOOD
    BROWNING LAKE IS CREATED

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers formalized the river's course change by dredging a cut-off channel for the river between the airport and
    downtown St. Joseph

    An oxbow lake (Browning Lake) was formed in the old Bellemont Bend and Elwood Bend portions of the river channel

    The cut-off channel modified portions of Bon Ton Bend and St. Joseph Bend, and separated the city from the airport
    A bridge and highway were later constructed to connect the two




    THE 1984 BLACK SNAKE CREEK FLOODING

    June 8, 1984 - Overnight rain flooded Blacksnake Creek in northwest St. Joseph and Whitehead Creek, Contrary Creek and Brown's Branch in south St. Joseph

    Seven inches of rain in six hours caused $16.5 million in damage

    Albert Loubey, 47, died trying to wade across Ajax Road with friends

    About 250 people were rescued from trees, vehicles and houses in low-lying areas throughout the city

    The Blacksnake Creek is a tributary of the Missouri River

    In 1984 a flash flood in St. Joseph, MO devastated homes and commercial property in its two largest watersheds, including Blacksnake Creek, a watershed of 5,200 acres

    In order to provide a higher level of flood protection the City and the Corps of Engineers initiated a feasibility study of flood control improvements that can be implemented along Blacksnake Creek in St. Joseph

    The project would create a storm water detention basin to capture storm water from 3,300 acres of the watershed and protect the fully developed area of 1,900 acres downstream

    The project itself has increased in importance as a result of the EPA and its Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) regulations

    As a result, the project is critical to address both flooding and storm water detention and outfall redirection to keep storm water flow out of the combined system and improve water quality as a result

    Flooding on the creek threatens the commercial and residential corridor

    Federal funds obtained will be used to initiate design work




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    1984 FLOOD
    BLACK SNAKE CREEK


    When more water is present than the sewer can handle, the creek floods over
    In 1984 it caused flooding from Karnes Road clear to 5th Avenue
    The flood caused Roger's Green Hills & other buildings extensive damage

    Photo #1 - Black Snake Creek flood of 1984
    Photo #2 - The Blacksnake Creek overflow sewer
    Photo #3 - Shows roughly where the sewer crosses beneath Karnes Road
    Photos submitted by Rick Boyd




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    1984 FLOOD
    GREEN HILLS SUPER MARKET (ROGER's)
    1004 5th Avenue

    In June 1984, Black Creek flooded the old store and surrounding area
    A new store was built just east of the old location
    Photo #1 - taken after flood of June 7, 1984
    Photo #2 - June 8, 1984 St Joseph News-Press photo




    THE 1993 MISSOURI RIVER FLOOD

    The Missouri and Mississippi river basins were set up early for an extreme flood event

    Unusually wet weather beginning in the fall of 1992 was followed by heavy snow through the winter months, falling on already saturated soil

    The spring would bring more of the same, rainfall throughout the Missouri and Mississippi river basins produced between 1 and 1.5-times the amount of normal rainfall

    Recurring stalled weather systems in the basins during the period from June to September of 1993 brought between 1.5 and 2-times the amount of normal rainfall

    The most severe flooding was concentrated in the lower Missouri and upper Mississippi river basins, but many tributaries of each also had major and some record flooding





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    1993 & 2011 MISSOURI RIVER FLOOD PHOTOS


    Photo #1 - Rosecrans flooded in 1993
    Photo #2 - Rosecrans control tower in 1993
    Photo #3 - Rosecrans flooded
    Photo #4 - Elwood, Kansas
    Photo #7 - Elwood levee
    Photo #8 - The Boathouse off Waterworks road flooded in 1993
    Photo #9 - Rosecrans flooded - July 29, 1993 photo
    Photo #10 - 1993 News-Press photo of US Highway 36
    Photos #17-26 were taken by Mark Robeau in 2011




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    2007 FLOOD PHOTOS


    Photo - 2007 Missouri river flood in the casino & wildlife center area




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    Circa 2011
    TERRIBLE'S CASINO
    FLOOD PHOTOS

    Photo #1 - 2011 flood aerial photo
    Photo #2 - 2011 flood aerial photo
    Photo #3 - 2011 flood aerial photo




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