Daily Courier reporter Ruth Rausch’s house on Rogue River Highway was flooded, marooning her. Her son Mike, now in his early 60s, still points out the high points of the ‘64 flood when he’s guiding on the Rogue for Orange Torpedo Trips, including a spot not far below where the Hellgate overlook is today. John Harlow and his heirs. A A. However, in many areas storage in reservoirs and operation of flood-control facilities prevented far greater damage. This is Universal Newsreel coverage of the flood from December 28 … Cracker Barrel falls prey to the systemic false labeling of racism December 2014 marks the 50th anniversary of the Christmas Flood of 1964, which caused $157 million in damage ($1.1 billion in today's dollars), and as a result, 17 Oregonians lost their lives. During this holiday season, the 1964 Christmas flood reminds us that flooding is a national problem and can happen anytime, anywhere. Flooding on the Rogue River, Oregon, December 1964. Rising Flood Waters: 1964 Corvallis OSU Special Collections & Archives Research Center Corvallis Historical Images Primary Set Rising Flood Waters: 1964 Corvallis Institution Oregon State University Created 2005-12-28 Modified 2010-01-20 Oregon City, Oregon, December 24 - Precarious position for paper plant - The flooding Willamette River has almost leveled out a sharp fall in the river at Oregon City. These images were taken when the Willamette River stood at 23' and document the extensive flooding in the Corvallis area. They started walking, and they made it up to their armpits.”. The $15 minimum wage would most hurt the people it’s intended to help. The USGS partners with local communities to assist in the development and validation of flood inundation map libraries. The Christmas flood of 1964 was driven by a series of storms, known as atmospheric rivers or “pineapple expresses,” that battered the region producing as much as 15 inches of rain in 24 hours at some locations. The 1964 Christmas Flood December 22, 2014. Quiz: Can you pass this basic astronomy test? The DVD is available for $10. Remembering the 1964 Christmas Day Flood The Rogue River and Morrisons Lodge Weren’t Spared. The Flood of 1964. “They felt like something wasn’t right. But he knows some of the hard facts. Quiz: US Citizenship Test - Could You Pass? Quiz: Can you pass a World War II history test? From Foothill Boulevard, the view is down to the flooded railroad tracks and devastated Fielder Lane. Utah GOP rejects Mitt Romney censure: 'There is power in our differences'. A couple was inside, with two feet of water flowing through. The Christmas flood of 1964 was driven by a series of storms, known as atmospheric rivers or “pineapple expresses,” that battered the region producing as much as 15 inches of rain in 24 hours at some locations. It was not catastrophic. “Changes at a gage upstream of our dam tells us how much more water is flowing into the reservoir. They went outside to look, and the house just disappeared. 1964 Christmas Floods left a mark on Oregon. email. That year, floodwaters inundated agricultural land, eroding soils, killing livestock, and damaging farm buildings. Share this page; A-A+; Lane County Photographs *Please note that many of these photographs are over 1 MB in size and may impact your page load time or utilize a significant amount of a mobile user's data. But nothing prepared them for what unfolded two years later when the Rogue River went on a rampage, swollen with record rainfall and melting snow. The front page of the Friday Dec. 18, 1964, Democrat-Herald shows children and college students frolicking in the snow and cold. News about an earthquake hitting the Pacific Northwest so powerful that it “will destroy a sizable portion of the coastal Northwest,” according to a doomsday report that is to be published in the July 20 edition of The New Yorker (it’s already posted online). The effects of the high water on the Willamette were hightened by similar flooding on the Columbia River at the same time. Today, Lost Creek Reservoir’s storage would have knocked off 25 percent of the peak flow in Grants Pass, but the river would have still risen at least eight feet above flood stage, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Seven GOP senators who voted to convict Trump explain their decision, ‘If only McConnell was so righteous’: Donald Trump Jr. rips top Senate Republican, Rags to riches: Stars who were once homeless, Audit finds DHS wastes millions on unused detention beds, Gina Carano, Ben Shapiro announce new movie project: ‘They can’t cancel us if we don’t let them’. At its peak, water hit the top of the downtown waterfront’s seawall. Gilmore’s house trailer and utility building on the river side of the road near Hog Creek were swept out into the river and smashed to pieces as they went into Hellgate Canyon.”. By the end of the flood, almost every river in Oregon had flooded and more than 30 major bridges were impassable. It’s where Skeets and Bobbie Bellamy and their three sons lived on Fielder Lane, after escaping the Los Angeles traffic in 1959. The Christmas flood of 1964 encompassed about 200,000 square miles, or roughly the size of France, resulted in 47 deaths, left thousands homeless and caused more than $540 million ($3.9 billion today) worth of damage. They were running out of supplies, and water was still up over the road,” Slusser recalled. A tsunami struck the Oregon coast on Friday evening, March 27, 1964 following the great Alaskan earthquake, the second largest earthquake ever recorded and largest ever recorded in North America. GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — It's a vacant lot now, with almost nothing left but an aging concrete slab and septic cap. “Oh my goodness, the power behind all that water going through such a narrow place,” she said. Personal stories of the damage and scope of the devastating flood in part 1 of the Clackamas County 1964 Christmas Flood Documentary. shares. “We grew up on that lot, going down there and playing on the river,” said Brett Bellamy, 31, Mike’s son who today operates Your Wingman food cart in downtown Grants Pass. Following are some of the photos that illustrate the destruction. We got some presents out.”. Salem, Oregon - As rising waters of the Willamette River near Salem, Oregon inundated lowlands homes today, residents had to resort to boats to get to their homes from the edge of the swollen river. The Christmas flood of 1964 was a major flood in the Pacific Northwest and some of Northern California between December 18, 1964, and January 7, 1965, spanning the Christmas holiday.Considered a 100-year flood,it was the worst flood in recorded history on nearly every major stream and river in coastal Northern California and one of the worst to affect the Willamette River in Oregon. Dec 26, 2014 - Official website for U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Mike took his family down by the river for a good time. The Rogue River flows about 250 feet in the background. This historic event didn’t actually occur on just one day. and View Comments, Terms of Use / Privacy Policy / Manage Newsletters, Cheryl Chumley on The Battle for America’s Soul, - “Jan had a friend out for the weekend, and the flood hit. He stayed with his girlfriend’s family. Areas in Oregon, Idaho, California, Washington and Nevada experienced record-breaking floods caused by three storms between Dec. 19 and Jan. 31. A few miles upstream, the Rogue topped the pavement at Robertson Bridge. This 100-year flood event caused an estimated $71 million in damages, with especially heavy agricultural losses to crops, livestock, and soil erosion. “Trees would hit the Seventh Street bridge and go under, then pop up between the bridges, then hit the side of Caveman Bridge and shatter,” Momsen recalled. “My goodness, we saw houses go by and all kinds of things,” said the 81-year-old Slagle, during an interview earlier this week. It was 10 feet lower. After a devastating flood in 1964, a dike was constructed to protect the lower town. The Christmas Flood of 1964 was one of the biggest floods on record in the Northwest United States. “The community came together. The only larger ones in modern times had struck in the 19th century. Photograph courtesy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Now known as The 1964 Christmas Flood, it destroyed roads, homes and businesses and took at least 17 lives. 14. Calvin Shultz lives atop Weymouth Bluff on the land his great-grandparents Carl and Mary Briceland retired to just months before the 1964 flood. “Mud and slime, the consistency and color of thick, chocolate syrup, and tons of silt loaded with debris of every imaginable description spells out the aftermath . Rain falling on snow was to blame for the third highest flood since records were first kept for Johnson Creek in the 1940s. We cannot allow a dam to overfill.”. Major flooding was widespread. Recovery costs ran into the multi-millions if not billions. 1960-1969 1 Browse Items ; This collection features 59 oblique photographs flown by Western Ways, Inc. on December 23, 1964. by News Staff. The “Big One” crested at 34.15 feet, 14 feet above flood stage and nearly two feet higher than the 1955 flood that set in motion the construction of Lost Creek, Applegate and Elk Creek dams in the Rogue basin. Mike sells manufactured homes in town, and remembers the flood through the eyes of a 10-year-old, worried about his baseball cards and marbles. Luckily they were not in it. Refrigerators, ranges, cabinets, gas tanks, houses, trees, logs, barrels, barrels and more barrels all at crazy angles, raced before the angry waters at dizzying speeds.”. Two houses slammed into the bridge and were pinned against it. Sauers Flat near Kerby was a disaster scene, with several houses destroyed. “It was a classic rain-on-snow event,” said Marc Stewart a hydrologist for the U.S. Geological Survey. Slagle filmed trees slamming into the bridge at Rogue River, and in the background swamped businesses along Rogue River Highway. How much should taxpayers be forced to spend to militarize D.C.? The USGS also coordinates collection and dissemination of geospatial imagery and map products used for flood response and evaluation. Agencies from federal, state and local governments will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Pacific Northwest 1964 Christmas flood starting Dec. 10. GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) - It’s a vacant lot now, with almost nothing left but an aging concrete slab and septic cap. Perhaps most impressive were the scenes she filmed at Hellgate Canyon 18 miles downstream from Grants Pass. In 1906, Lou and Laura Harlow, who would later live in the Harlow House (the home, a few blocks north, is now a Troutdale Historical Society Museum) sold the six-acre site to the Willamette Valley Advent Christian Conference for $400. Numerous landslides added to the damage and impacts. Click to Read More Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), Mapping, Remote Sensing, and Geospatial Data, federal, state and local governments will commemorate, atmospheric rivers or “pineapple expresses, Hydrologic Information Center – Flood Loss Data, U.S. Geological Survey Flood Inundation Mapping Science. Archival U.S. Geological Survey photograph. Family members lit fireworks on July 4, jumped into the lake that formed behind Savage Rapids Dam in the summer, and water skied. 50th Anniversary of Oregon Christmas Flood of 1964. by Associated Press. The Christmas flood of 1964 encompassed about 200,000 square miles, or roughly the size of France, resulted in 47 deaths, left thousands homeless and caused more than $540 million ($3.9 billion today) worth of damage. Gail’s Market was one that suffered extensive damage in both the ‘55 and ‘64 floods. The 9 Most Horrifying Disasters That Ever Happened In Oregon. No … The flod claimed 17 people in Oregon and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. - 1964 Press Photo Crown Zellerbach Paper Plant at Willamette River Flood, Oregon This is an original press photo. Published: Mon, December 22, 2014 6:23 PM Updated: Mon, December 22, 2014 6:23 PM. 1964 Press Photo Willamette River flood waters surround Salem, Oregon homes This is an original press photo. Quiz: Can you pass a European history test. Known as one of the most severe rainstorms ever to occur in the state of Oregon, the Christmas Flood of 1964 came very close to destroying the beginnings of Morrisons Lodge. Many people were stunned by the Jan. 1, 1997, flood. The monster flood came about like most of the Rogue floods over the years, the double whammy of heavy rain on top of significant melting snow. Perhaps that was the scene described by Mary Lou Wood, Galice correspondent for the Courier. Wiped out by the flood, the Bellamy family moved to West Evans Creek Road. Early Wednesday morning, Dec. 23, 1964, as the river crested, a large tree smacked into the Bellamy home and obliterated most of it. Luckily they were not in it. In Josephine County, 10 bridges were destroyed, including the Redwood Highway bridge over Rough and Ready Creek south of Cave Junction. “But we still had Christmas. Ellis Lucia, photojournalist and author of “The Big Blow” and “Don’t Call It Or-e-gawn” released “Wild Water” in 1965 to commemorate flooding, frigid temps that took place on the Pacific Slope in December of 1964. Office of Communications and Publishing12201 Sunrise Valley DriveReston, VA 20192United StatesPhone: 703-648-4460. “In addition to the rain, there were already several inches of water from the melting snow, so it was a big runoff event across a wide area.”. “If a control point spikes, decisions are made that specifically address the needs of a population area. Monday, December 22, 2014, Listen to the Front Page Podcast with George Gerbo, Detroit officials offer explanation on white van claim by ‘Stop the Steal’ advocates. My father-in-law picked up the phone, made a phone call, they came down and opened the store and gave me clothes on credit.”. Monday, December 22nd 2014. They never found anything of it,” Momsen said. The 1964 flood was caused by a combination of extended heavy rains (10 inches in 6 days) and mountain snow melting from warm rain coming in from the Pacific. Snippets of it are on the Daily Courier’s website. “We had 19 feet of water in the house,” he said. 50 Years Ago: Remembering the Christmas Flood of 1964. According to the National Weather Service, over the past 30 years, nationwide annual flood damages averaged $8.2 billion with 89 fatalities per year. The combination of heavy rain, melting snow, and frozen ground caused extreme runoff, erosion and flooding. 1964 Christmas Flood Glenn Otto Community Park was originally owned by the town's founding family, Capt. Early Wednesday morning, Dec. 23, 1964, as the river crested, a large tree smacked into the Bellamy home and obliterated most of it. Copyright © 2021 The Washington Times, LLC. (On today’s gauge the flood crest would be 35.15). Farther upstream, the flood wiped out the highway bridge at Shady Cove and damaged Dodge Bridge on the east edge of Sams Valley. Dan, on Christmas break from Southern Oregon College, went to work at the grocery store and got stranded in Rogue River by the flood. The Flood of the Century had swallowed another victim. The high water destroyed municipal sewage plants and flooded out 300 houses in north Salem. Rising Flood Waters: 1964 Corvallis 59; Institution. They just moved everything upstairs, said Mike Bellamy, now 60, of Grants Pass. Today, December 22, marks the 50-year anniversary of the 1964 Christmas Flood. 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VIEW ALL PHOTOS. He and Robin have now been married for nearly 50 years and live in Long Beach, California. The USGS Flood Inundation Mapping Program focuses its efforts at state and local levels to help communities understand flood risks and make cost-effective mitigation decisions. The family endured a flood in 1962. She wrote about the aftermath. On December 22, 1964, Johnson Creek in southeast Portland crested at 14.68 feet, over three feet above flood stage. I had no clothes. The monster flood came about like most of the Rogue floods over the years, the double whammy of heavy rain on top of significant melting snow. Associated Press A redwood, planted by Mike Bellamy when he was 6 years old, soars upward. Areas of severe flooding from December 1964 and January 1965, which encompassed about 200,000 square miles, resulted in 47 deaths, left thousands homeless and caused more than $540 million ($3.9 billion today) worth of damage. 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