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.