There's a history of building in Lincoln's flood plain -- 1/27/08

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By Jim McKee/For the Lincoln Journal Star

   The first nonfarming settlers arrived in the 1860s at what would become the village of Lancaster and later Lincoln, and, with scant timber for cabins, built dugouts along the meandering Salt Creek.

   Their primary reason for locating there was to be near the salt flats to the northwest, but also to be near water and partially because the flat terrain simply offered few other places a dugout was feasible.

   Local Natives chided not only those in Lancaster County but those settling along the Missouri River and virtually every other stream in Nebraska Territory. They knew all too well that what seemed like a good location during the dry summer--when virtually all immigrants arrived and set up housekeeping--would more often than not be washed away after severe winters were followed by spring floods.

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As both Salt Creek to the west and Antelope Creek to the east flooded in 1908, downtown Lincoln was pretty much underwater. This photo shows the intersection of 12th and O streets looking north. There is no record of whether the two men were able to ride out the flood. COURTESY JIM McKEE

As both Salt Creek to the west and Antelope Creek to the east flooded in 1908, downtown Lincoln was pretty much underwater. This photo shows the intersection of 12th and O streets looking north. There is no record of whether the two men were able to ride out the flood. COURTESY JIM McKEE

   In 1864, when Clay County was dissolved and divided by Gage and Lancaster counties, a wagon coming from Beatrice with Lancaster's copies of Clay County records was swept away in a flash flood on Salt Creek. The driver was saved, but the records were lost.

   With the original plat of Lincoln, no provision for streets west of about Fifth was drawn, primarily because it was thought the flood plain of Salt Creek would stymie buildings and provide a barrier. When the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad arrived in 1870, its corridor paralleled the creek because the grade was flat and no building had occurred to interfere. In May 1873, the rail yards and south bottoms were reported flooded. Two people died in the Salt Creek flood of June 13, 1874.

   Because much of the low-lying "bottoms" belonged to the railroad, it was undeveloped. Then in 1876, "a party of German-Russian immigrants from the Province of Frank" arrived in Lincoln, and, because they were able to acquire land inexpensively from the Burlington, built homes in what became known as the South "Russian Bottoms," from about A to G Streets.

   After a few years of building without problems, on March 25, 1881, rains flooded the depot grounds and bottoms to a depth of 2 to 5 feet. The next year, Salt Creek inundated the bottom lands and drove hundreds from their homes with the city providing food and shelter.

   In 1892, 300 were driven from their homes and 10 years later, "Salt Creek reached the highest point in history" with residents of the bottoms rescued by police in boats.

   In July 1906, creeks and streams countywide were out of their banks, and in July 1908, 7 inches of rain fell, 21/2 in one two-hour period, leaving 1,000 homeless and nine dead.

   Antelope Creek flooded this time, too, meaning O Street was flooded from Fifth Street to 24th and F Street (now Cooper Park) was termed an "isolated island." Downstream in Ashland, two people died.

   About twice a decade serious flooding followed. In 1942 Bennett Martin was trying to convince the Stop-Nut Washer Co. to build a plant in Lincoln, but the proposed site near Gooch's Mill was under water. He was able to convince them to buy the warehouse at 16th and W streets for $350,000. The warehouse later was purchased by the Elgin Watch Co. and today is Nebraska Hall on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus.

   In May 1950, nearly 7 inches of rain fell in Syracuse, and, inLincoln, 14 died and $53 million in damage was caused by flooding. This tragedy brought about the formation of the Salt-Wahoo Watershed Association in cooperation with the Army Corp of Engineers and the Soil Conservation Commission.

   As dams and diversion plans began, a "terrific rain" fell June 9, 1971, flooding cellars and streets and underscoring the need for the plan. When residents along Wahoo Creek did not vote to join, the name was changed to the Salt Valley Watershed District.

   With Wilderness Park's unchanneled section slowing water flow, the Antelope Creek Project and dams like those at Holmes Lake, much of the threat of flooding in Lincoln has been eliminated.

   Now new questions arise as projects are considered in land still defined as within existing flood plains and development with rooftops, driveways and streets moves eastward into the Stevens Creek watershed.

   Historian Jim McKee, who still writes with a fountain pen, invites comments or questions. Write in care of the Journal Star or e-mail jim@leebooksellers.com.