101 YEARS AGO • MAY 17, 1917

RIVER BOOMS; FLOOD DANGER

WASHOUT ON COUGAR GULCH

The chief concern of many dwellers throughout the main valley of Sanders County just now is not what the outcome of America’s entrance into the great war will be, but what the Clarks Fork river is going to do. From present indications and actions there are broad grounds for worry.

The river has been steadily rising during the past week and is still on the rapid upward trend. From a normal flow of 10,000 feet per second at Thompson Falls it went to 37,700 feet last week and made a 40,000 foot advance during the week to 77,300.

Some extensive damage has already been done by the flood conditions. At Cougar Gulch an enormous fill in the main road was completely washed out by the heavy flow of water; the creek there is only a tiny stream, almost dry, in mid-summer. So complete was the washout that it will require a forty foot bridge to close up the gap. Until it is finished the road from Thompson Falls to Trout Creek on the north side of the river is closed at this point. Currently Blue Slide residents on the west end of the road are having to deal with driving to Trout Creek to get to the highway and Thompson Falls. Just imagine what a hardship it was a hundred years ago when the main mode of transport was horse and wagon.

On the south side of the river the road is still open, although the Dry Creek bridge is a little shaky. Both bridges on Prospect Creek are in danger if the creek should rise much above its present flow.

Some danger of washout at the south approach to the Plains bridge is being anticipated by the dumping in of several loads of rock.

The ferry at Noxon is temporarily out of commission on account of the flood. Foot passengers are taken across, but the water is too high to risk heavier traffic. The cable is being tightened this week to pull it above danger from floating trees.

The power plant here is making ready for any eventualities that may occur. All of the flash boards and even the upright supports, with the exception of about thirty-five of the main beams, have been removed, and a section of the bridge across the top of the dam will be taken out to permit large trees to pass.

According to many old timers the conditions are ripe for a repetition of the high water of ’94 and perhaps the establishment of a new record. In that flood year the streets of Plains were navigated in boats and the railroad was under water at Plains, Dixon, Perma and many other points, so that traffic was held up for days. The wagon roads were also entirely impassable.

84 YEARS AGO • JUNE 2, 1934

HIGH WATER AGAIN AFTER TEN YEARS

Since ’33 the Clarks Fork of the Columbia at Thompson Falls has never reached peak flood levels that is over 100,000 cubic feet of water per second flow. The flow at this writing is nearly 90,000.

From now until June 15 or 20 when the flood crest is reached a 24 man crew or more will be on constant river patrol, or boat duty. This year business men at the close of working hours are taking night shifts, because help is extremely hard to get.

Patrolling the boom, or lasso drift up stream on the boat isn’t hard, but the writer who has been on patrol frankly got the “spillway jitters” working out next to the spillway unloosening jams. One slip or too much of a heave on a peeve and ---! Drift is sweeping down like a race horse at this writing, and look out for the big snags.

Let’s glance back at the 1933 files of The Ledger when the last big high water struck. Everyone then cried for a boom guarding job. Business men were working on the boom then too, and it wasn’t because they wanted to help out, but because they badly needed some additional revenue to keep going. This was during the Great Depression.

We quote from the June 7, 1933 issue: “Since the construction of the dam of Thompson Falls, the record high water flow was reached on June 14, 1928, when nearly 132,700 cubic feet per second flowed over the dam. Old timers speak of high water records in past years before the dam was built when the drift wood was so immense that there wasn’t clear space enough to cross the river on a boat in order to land supplies on the other side, such as the year 1894. They claimed 150,000 cu. ft. flow was common years ago. The average year peak flow is around 50,000 to 70,000.