“My dad was down watching the river.  He said that when it came in, it wasn’t rising very fast, but then all at once, there came the trees and the logs and the dead cattle.  It just made a wall; it was just a dam moving slow.”    Kermit Froetschner

Our film premiere on October 26 will begin with a short introductory film about the Arkansas River flood waters raging through Offerle on its way to Kinsley in June, 1965.    This film was produced by Rachel Harmon of Sagebrush Video and is entitled, “The Chickens Survived” Community & Cooperation – Offerle and the Flood of 1965.  The script was inspired from a gathering last March of Offerle citizens who met to remember the flood.  Rachel had a particular interest in this project as her grandparents were Leander and Pauline Lightcap from south of Offerle.  Rachel has produced many full-length videos about Kansas history including two on the Trousdale area.  All of her videos are available at the library for check out.  ”The Chickens Survived” was also funded as a special project by the Turning Points: Stories of Change grant the Kinsley Library received from the Kansas Humanities Council.  More tomorrow about the KHC feature film.

Hamm and Pool Drug Store Ad depicts what is important after a flood: typhoid shots, bug control, and Big Flood stories.

One aspect of flooding that has come up in the research and interviews which I had not thought about was the prevention of typhoid fever.  Typhoid is a human disease which is spread by ingesting water contaminated by human waste.  This happens during flooding when sewer lines fill and back up and waste water treatment facilities are flooded.  Whenever there was a flood in Kinsley, everyone was encouraged to have a typhoid shot. During her interview, Mary Kallaus told a cute story of how she went to the courthouse to see about getting a shot.  She discretely went up to the doctor and asked if she should get one as she was in the early months of pregnancy.  He replied that of course she should and “go get in the line over there for children and pregnant women.” After that, everyone in town knew she was pregnant.

Taken of bridge over Hwy 193 South of Kinsley

The end of this month, the Gizmo Production crew will visit Kinsley to film our story of living on the floodplain.  I have spent the day looking up newspaper articles on the bigger floods that this area has experienced in 1921, 1942, 1965, 1971, 1973, and 1996.  If anyone has pictures or stories about flooding, don’t forget to share it with the library for possible inclusion in the finished film and as a definite addition to our archives.

An article which brought to mind Noah and his flood was in the Kinsley Mercury of June 16, 1921.  It reported on the June 9 flood that “Every flood brings a revival of boat building, and this one has been no exception.”  One skiff that was built made several experimental trips down the river.  “All went well till they got to the Fred Fletcher place when they hit an obstruction and capsized.  However, as the water was only about four feet deep they rescued themselves and their craft.  The plan on which this good ship was operated was very simple.  The current was too swift for upstream navigation, so the party would voyage downstream to some convenient point then load and go back up the stream and start again.”

It was also reported that another group of citizens “have built the most pretentious boat that has ever been built in this section.  It is 20 feet long with 5 ¾ beam.  They have installed a four cylinder Reo motor.  It has capacity for about 8 adults.  They plan trips on the Arkansas and expect to develop enough power to come back against the current after going downstream.  They launched their craft Sunday and after a few experimental trips, carried passengers for a small fee and did a good business.”

Remember when radio was the link to breaking local news?  That was the way it was 48 ½ years ago on Sunday night, June 19, 1965, when Kinsley Mayor Jim Heinz spoke over radio station KGNO at Dodge City, declaring a state of emergency.  The rampaging Arkansas River would soon hit the city over a mile south of its natural banks.

Darkness increased the anxiety as no one was able to see the water until it was quite close. Floodwaters reached the south edge of the city limits about 12:45 a.m., spreading out over the airport and the football field.  By 3 a.m. water began spilling over US Hwy 50 near the bowling alley. Mayor Heinz ordered the evacuation of the southeast part of the city.

The big water hit at 4 a.m. flooding the city south of the railroad tracks in about ½ hour.  Flood waters ranged from 6” to 4’.  Strong currents swept through the streets carrying logs and other debris.  Stiff winds pushed the water through the city and maintained its peak throughout Monday.  Highways were closed, the hospital and nursing home evacuated.

This was by far the worst flood in memory and there would never be another like it to date.  But it and subsequent flooding of the Coon Creeks in the 1970’s would lead the city to seek solutions to flooding issues.  Stay tuned for more interesting facts and tidbits about how Kinsley has been “Navigating Rough Waters” since 1965.

I see I made a typing mistake and used the inch symbol instead of the foot symbol. Sorry, I didn’t catch that when I proofread. It should have been 3.8’ (feet) to 17.2’ (feet) in 15 minutes. That looks more like a flood doesn’t it?

I’m looking at a Hutchinson News special edition dated July 4, 1965 which reads, “They’ll never forget the Granddaddy of Ark Floods,” and I am wondering how many of you do remember it 48 years later? It all started on June 14, 1965 in Colorado with torrential rains, wind and a tornado. For 3 days it rained and the tributaries flooded into the Arkansas River and raced east dealing death and destruction from La Junta on into all the western Kansas towns and cities along the river. The waters reached Dodge City on June 19 and observers reported that it rose from 3.8” to 17.2” in 15 minutes. About 1500 residents had to evacuate the area. Now the river was pregnant with the tons of debris it had picked up on its 270-mile route when it reached Kinsley the morning of June 21. The Arkansas River flooding was exacerbated by Coon Creek whose water backed up into the city blocking highways from 3 directions.
I’ll be telling you more about this flood in the days to come, as it will be the beginning of our film’s story. We are very lucky to be able to include actual movie footage of the 1965 flood taken from the top of the elevator by Marvin Ryan. That is just one of the exciting aspect of this project as it seeks to rescue and preserve the memories, images and document which record the flooding issues as Turning Points in Kinsley’s history. Perhaps your memory or photo album can contribute to our understanding of this flood and any subsequent ones or the many attempts of the city to meet the challenges of living in a flood plain.

The Kinsley Library is embarking on a new project with the Kansas Humanities Council.  We will be producing “Navigating Rough Waters,” a movie about how living in a flood plain has impacted the community.   This film is part of the KHC short film initiation,  “Turning Points: Stories of Change” which will premiere in Kinsley next spring.  This blog will keep you up to date as we gather information and photographs, film interviews with people who lived through or tried to deal with flooding issues, and as we put together a gala premiere event.  You’ll want to stay connected to this project!