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THIS PICTURE taken at the
height oi the flood didn't
catch any of the log that tint
showed ai tho water rushed
down Chase St This picture
shows the water as it had
spread across the used car
parking lot Taken from the
alley behind the Wagon
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THE WATER completely tur
rounded the Creamery. Some
of the water rushed on down
Chase to empty into Willow
Creek. Some of it turned and
mi to Main St on Center
St The garbage can in the jj
the water. They are working
to pull the pickup with the
camDer on it out of the wa-
ter. This was accomplished
tight after this picture was
taken in front of jonns tnev
ron station.
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Be.
BACK VP Main Street to the
front of the Wagon Wheel
where already the water is
starting to recede. Immediate-
1 mArtlTta VftM Out BtlSh.
ing mud and debris off their ' '
walks.
TWO BLOCKS up the street Lee
Boutelle whose family came
down and moved them up to
Pasco country. Two floods in
less than two years was too
much for them.
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F
FROM the Highway: the Swim
ming pool full of water and
silt and logs and the breach
in the wall of the bath house
spells total loss.
K .'. .
THE UPPER side of the bath
bouse with pavement from the . -y
street rfoned off and slammed A t
against the building. Trees -
like match sticks protrude
from the break in the wall. jj
---I .I i in --,,-41 f.-h . tr.-x.
I k i f
(Also see pictures page 2, this section)
Flood Destruction Witnessed By Many . . .
On the Tuesday of the 1971
Flood Day, Clarence Rosewall
and Charlie had made plans to
leave for Boardman at one o'
clock. Boeing was to review their
plans for their land up at the
north end.
When Clarence came in he
asked if we'd heard anything
about a possible flood. He'd
heard over the news there had
been a storm in Prineville that
had done a lot of timber dam
age and the storm was coming
this way. There could be a half
inch of rain in a short time in
Heppner that could cause a
flood. No one had heard about
it. He went to check at the City
Hall, Charlie called the Sheriffs
office and I called the Forest
Service. No one had any kind
of such a report.
Clarence went back up to
calm Virginia then he and
Charlie went on their way.
It was a distracting afternoon
as Ann and I tried to turn out
copy and yet keep an eye on
the sky. The sun continued to
shine. Maybe it was all a mis
take. Vi Lanham talked to Char
lie before he left and he told
her of the flood warning. Later
she called me back and said if
we heard any more about a
flood to call her.
The Sheriffs office called to
say that the storm warning had
been changed to a "Storm
Watch". They said this meant
that it could happen and we
should keep a sharp watch. I
called Vi and relayed the mess
age. We "Storm Watched". We kept
an eagle eye on the sky as it
turned cloudy and then cloudier.
We told everyone who came in
and everyone who called on the
telephone that we could have
highwater.
Then it just poured. The gut
ters filled. We were apprehens
ive but were still trying to write
the news.
It was about three o'clock, I
remember, when the rain stop
ped and I thought "just may
be there won't be highwater".
We typed on but concentra
tion was at a low level. Then
the siren.
I ran immediately towards the
Fire Station. About halfway
there, someone came out, held
up his hand and said two words,
"high water". I ran back to the
shop. Matt quickly loaded th
new camera, and I headed to
wards the Creek. Before I got
to Main Street, Chase Street was
a muddy river with logs bung
ling down at a great rate.
Matt ran behind the Hotel to
get Reggie's car. He drove it out
splashing water high. I went on
to the Alley but in that short
distance the Chase Street water
covered the full half block and
I took my first picture.
I came back up to the corner,
Ann, Matt and I walked down
towards John's Chevron. The
water was boiling on all sides
of the Creamery. The rush of
water went on down Chase St.
and entered Willow Creek. The
rest turned and came towards
Main St. on Center St More de
bris, oil cans and tires went by.
I got two pictures here but right
now we haven't found the one
of the water around the Cream
ery. We walked back- up Main St
Already the water was receding
and we stayed on the walk
which had been covered a short
time before.
At the Ford Garage corner, we
took to the street.
It was here where we began
to see the first of the destruc
tion. The Forest Sen' ice grounds
looked pretty bad. Bettie Dohei
ty and Gladys Jones looked out
the window of the Forest Serv
ice office to tell us they had
seen it all from their vantage
point and had some good pic
tures we could borrow.
The first house where the
Boutelle's lived, looked awful
with that huge log sticking
through the wall. We climbed
a little higher and could see the
swimming pool. This was sad.
In that short time, the creek
was back in the channel run
ning bank to bank. I took some
pictures of the swimming pool
and the bridge that wasn't there
from the bank then I clambered
down the bank and walked with
Matt Hughes along Cannon St.
Already the place was alive
with people and cameras.
I always loved the McDaniels
place because I knew under
neath it was a log cabin. Some
thing big had bashed against
the corner and the logs under
neath it were exposed. Water
had run through the house and
the muck must have been a foot
high. Partitions had shifted.
Sam Steers didn't have water
in their mobile home. The ce
ment wail at Van Schoiacks had
protected her well. No water in
her house but a yard full of silt.
The Chase St. bridge was gone
and for a minute 1 had visions
of sleeping on a bundle of news
print. The porch at Gochnauers
had been swept away and big
trees and part of the bridge and
big pieces of macadam were on
their yard. No water in their
house but the basement was
full. Tools, the furnace and hot
water heater all in the basement.
John, with a grim face w&.s leav
ing for the school to see if their
youngest daughter was at school
because she wasn't at home. He
called the school and asked
them to hold her there but he
wasn't sure that his message
got to her before she was let
out.
Here I met another photo
grapher that I had seen on my
rounds several times. He was
Paul Hansen's son and he said
he'd send me some pictures.
Mrs. Hager called me and said
she'd never trust me again. She
had called us and we relayed
to her it was a "Storm Watch".
They too, had suffered great
damage in the 19G9 flood and
more this time.
It wa.i getting darker and
starting to rafn again and me
without a jacket.
They were pulling cars from
Parleys used car lot. Met Mrs.
Bellamy here. She was the first
one to see the wall of water that
came out of the canyon. She
said it was 10 feet high and
just black with mud and filled
with great big logs and debris.
One of the horses caught in
the crest, had quite a scramble
getting to safety. Learned later
that this horse belonged to Syr
el Galliher.
Jerry Daggett was washing
off the driveway of his service
station.
Charlie came looking for me
and I got in the car and rode
back to the Shop.
I thought I should get word
to the Red Cross Regional office
of the tragedy. They'd know
what steps to take to help these
people. I looked at the clock
and it was 7 minutes after five.
I called the Pendleton Red Cross
office and got their answering
service who gave me Mrs. Innes'
name. I called her and she gave
me three names to get in Spo
kane. I called there and just got
their answering service when
the other phone rang. Our hold
button hasn't been working so I
ran to tho other telephone. It
was the AP wanting to know
about the flood. I talked to him
awhile then realized it was go
ing to take me awhile so I ex
cused myself ran back to the
other telephone and got the
numbers for the three Red Cross
people who could help me.
The AP man talked quite a
while. I had just hung up when
Charlie came back in. We took
a run up Shobe. Howard Petty
john was out picking up stuff.
Marcel Jones was picking up ir
rigation pipe and the highway
crew was clearing the highway
of mud and debris and filling
in with rock the shoulders that
had been washed.
Back to town and out as far
as the golf course. Lots of wa
ter had passed that way. Not
so much into homes but the
yards and gardens.
We went home by way of Wil
low Creek bridge and up Hill
St.
It was as hard to write news
after supper as it had been all
afternoon!
Now we know . . . when it
rains that hard . . . we'll get
the camera loaded and be ready
to go!
By Dorothy