The Great Flood of 1913
The rain that began on Easter Sunday in 1913, triggered one of the worst floods in Indiana history. The Indianapolis Star reported that March 22nd that a storm went through Indianapolis ripping off roofs. A brick chimney collapsed and fell through the roof at Holy Angels Catholic Church at 28th Street and Northwestern Avenue. March 24th brought reports of a cyclone hitting Terre Haute resulting in 7 fatalities. Widespread damage was reported between Terre Haute and Greencastle.
Then things got worse. "Four Die in State Floods; City Danger Grows," was the headline in The Star the morning of March 25th. White River stood 23 inches above the "danger line." Eleven inches of rain had fallen on the city since March 22, and the river was rising 4 inches an hour. The ground, still frozen or saturated from the spring thaw resulted in nearly a 6-square-mile area being inundated with water. |
Fordice & N Meridian St, Lebanon during the 1913 flood
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On March 26 floodwaters estimated at 19.5 feet above flood stage destroyed Indianapolis's Washington Street bridge, the main connection over the White River. High water forced 4,000 to flee their homes on the city's near west side when an earthen levee failed and a 25-foot wall of water flooded an area nearly a 1⁄2 mile wide around Kentucky Avenue and Morris Street. The city's transportation and water supply were disrupted for nearly four days in the flooded areas and as many as 7,000 Indianapolis families lost their homes.
In the years leading up to the 1913 flood, Indianapolis’s population had grown from 75,000 in 1880, topping out at 233,000 by 1910. At the time, there was no Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the American Red Cross wasn't set up for such a catastrophe. Organizational efforts by Gov. Samuel M. Ralston led to Indianapolis Mayor Samuel L. Shank creating the General Relief Committee for Flood Sufferers. The stations were opened in available buildings, and distributed donated clothing, food and supplies. Residents received "relief cards" that indicated the size of their household, employment and other basic information, then the families were allotted supplies accordingly.
Across Indiana
More than 180 bridges across Indiana were destroyed. Railroad travel, the primary source of transportation at the time, was impossible. Food supplies quickly dwindled, resulting in near famine in some areas .The flooding affected Fort Wayne, Lafayette, Terre Haute and most locations along White River, the East Fork of the White, Wabash and Whitewater rivers.
Rainfall for the five-day period beginning March 23 ranged from 2 inches in Northwest Indiana to more than 11 inches in the Richmond/east-central Indiana area. The crest of the flood passed through the northern reaches of the rivers on March 25-26, the central parts on March 26-27 and the southern courses on March 27-28.
According to the United States Weather Bureau, the flooding that resulted "cost the lives of scores of people, rendered many thousands homeless, and destroyed property beyond estimate. The enormous losses over such an extended area are unprecedented in the history of this portion of the United States, and it must follow that an occurrence so unusual must have been produced by extraordinary weather conditions."
While some homes were salvaged, many homes and businesses were beyond repair making the immediate cleanup brutal. As the floodwaters receded, the temperatures plummeted from the 60s to the 20s. It then snowed, which was fortuitous as it inhibited the growth of mold in homes and buildings. Unfortunately, the cold did not stop the spread of typhoid, which claimed even more lives in the flood's aftermath.
Flooding left the Wabash River nearly seven miles wide. It averaged 5 to 7 feet deep between Vincennes and Lawrenceville, Illinois. While there was no official count, the death toll in Indiana is estimated between 100 to 200.
In the aftermath of the flood, Indiana established a flood control commission which is now governed by the Indiana Finance Authority.
In the years leading up to the 1913 flood, Indianapolis’s population had grown from 75,000 in 1880, topping out at 233,000 by 1910. At the time, there was no Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the American Red Cross wasn't set up for such a catastrophe. Organizational efforts by Gov. Samuel M. Ralston led to Indianapolis Mayor Samuel L. Shank creating the General Relief Committee for Flood Sufferers. The stations were opened in available buildings, and distributed donated clothing, food and supplies. Residents received "relief cards" that indicated the size of their household, employment and other basic information, then the families were allotted supplies accordingly.
Across Indiana
More than 180 bridges across Indiana were destroyed. Railroad travel, the primary source of transportation at the time, was impossible. Food supplies quickly dwindled, resulting in near famine in some areas .The flooding affected Fort Wayne, Lafayette, Terre Haute and most locations along White River, the East Fork of the White, Wabash and Whitewater rivers.
Rainfall for the five-day period beginning March 23 ranged from 2 inches in Northwest Indiana to more than 11 inches in the Richmond/east-central Indiana area. The crest of the flood passed through the northern reaches of the rivers on March 25-26, the central parts on March 26-27 and the southern courses on March 27-28.
According to the United States Weather Bureau, the flooding that resulted "cost the lives of scores of people, rendered many thousands homeless, and destroyed property beyond estimate. The enormous losses over such an extended area are unprecedented in the history of this portion of the United States, and it must follow that an occurrence so unusual must have been produced by extraordinary weather conditions."
While some homes were salvaged, many homes and businesses were beyond repair making the immediate cleanup brutal. As the floodwaters receded, the temperatures plummeted from the 60s to the 20s. It then snowed, which was fortuitous as it inhibited the growth of mold in homes and buildings. Unfortunately, the cold did not stop the spread of typhoid, which claimed even more lives in the flood's aftermath.
Flooding left the Wabash River nearly seven miles wide. It averaged 5 to 7 feet deep between Vincennes and Lawrenceville, Illinois. While there was no official count, the death toll in Indiana is estimated between 100 to 200.
In the aftermath of the flood, Indiana established a flood control commission which is now governed by the Indiana Finance Authority.
Portions reprinted from IndyStar, March 22, 2019