Heppner Flood of 1903
Encyclopedia
The Heppner Flood of 1903 was a major flash flood
along Willow Creek
responsible for destroying a large portion of Heppner
, Oregon
, United States
, on June 14, 1903. With a death toll of 247 people, it remains the deadliest natural disaster in Oregon,
and the third deadliest flash flood in the entire United States, behind the 1889 Johnstown Flood
and the 1972 Black Hills Flood
.
The flood caused over $600,000 in damage.
After an exceptionally dry spring, strong thunderstorms moved over the Heppner area on June 14, 1903. Torrential rain and hail began falling on the watersheds
of Willow Creek and two of its largest tributaries, Balm Fork and Hinton Creek, by 16:30 PDT
.
The region's arid
climate and little vegetation coupled with the ground already being wet from a storm three days earlier caused very little water to be absorbed by the soil, and soon the streams were flooding. Within fifteen minutes after the rain began to fall, water rushed down the streams (mainly the Balm Fork), towards Heppner.
A steam laundry
building on the southern edge of Heppner built across Willow Creek acted as a dam when the water arrived, failing
under the stress several minutes later. This sent a 15 to 50 ft (4.6 to 15.2 m) wall of water cascading down Willow Creek that quickly reduced many of Heppner's structures to rubble.
Some structures were ripped off their foundations and floated downstream. At its peak, over 36000 ft3/s of water raced down Willow Creek,
more than the average flow of the much larger Willamette River
to the west.
Many people were able to escape to higher ground, but 247—nearly a quarter of Heppner's population at the time—died. The waters finally receded around an hour later. Two-thirds of the houses in Heppner were destroyed, and around 140 total structures, about one-third of Heppner, were washed away. Heppner's population did not completely recover to pre-1903 levels until 1990.
After the flood inundated Heppner, two of its residents, Les Matlock and Bruce Kelly, rode on horseback to warn the cities of Lexington
and Ione
, 9 and 18 mi (14.5 and 29 km) downstream, respectively. The flood washed through Lexington at about 19:00, just before they arrived, destroying several buildings. Matlock and Kelly continued north to Ione, overtaking the flood and warning the bewildered residents to evacuate. One hundred and fifty homes were destroyed, but no one was killed. However, the floodwaters washed raw sewage from Heppner downstream, contaminating wells in both Lexington and Ione. As a result, at least 18 people died from typhoid fever
(Salmonella enterica enterica
serovar Typhi) over the next several months.
Flash flood
A flash flood is a rapid flooding of geomorphic low-lying areas—washes, rivers, dry lakes and basins. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a storm, hurricane, or tropical storm or meltwater from ice or snow flowing over ice sheets or snowfields...
along Willow Creek
Willow Creek (Columbia River)
Willow Creek is a long tributary of the Columbia River, located in the U.S. state of Oregon. It drains of Morrow and Gilliam counties. Arising in the Blue Mountains, it flows generally northwest to its confluence with the Columbia River upstream of Arlington.-Course:Willow Creek's headwaters are...
responsible for destroying a large portion of Heppner
Heppner, Oregon
The city of Heppner is the county seat of Morrow County, Oregon, United States. It was originally called Standsbury Flat for George W. Standsbury, one of the first white settlers in the area. It was later renamed to honor Henry Heppner, a Jewish pioneer who opened the first general store there in...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, on June 14, 1903. With a death toll of 247 people, it remains the deadliest natural disaster in Oregon,
and the third deadliest flash flood in the entire United States, behind the 1889 Johnstown Flood
Johnstown Flood
The Johnstown Flood occurred on May 31, 1889. It was the result of the catastrophic failure of the South Fork Dam situated upstream of the town of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, USA, made worse by several days of extremely heavy rainfall...
and the 1972 Black Hills Flood
Black Hills flood
The Black Hills Flood of 1972, in the Black Hills of Western South Dakota, USA, occurred on June 9, 1972. The extreme rainfall of around of rain in 6 hours sent Rapid Creek and other creeks overflowing and flooded many residential and commercial properties around the Black Hills...
.
The flood caused over $600,000 in damage.
After an exceptionally dry spring, strong thunderstorms moved over the Heppner area on June 14, 1903. Torrential rain and hail began falling on the watersheds
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
of Willow Creek and two of its largest tributaries, Balm Fork and Hinton Creek, by 16:30 PDT
Pacific Time Zone
The Pacific Time Zone observes standard time by subtracting eight hours from Coordinated Universal Time . The clock time in this zone is based on the mean solar time of the 120th meridian west of the Greenwich Observatory. During daylight saving time, its time offset is UTC-7.In the United States...
.
The region's arid
Arid
A region is said to be arid when it is characterized by a severe lack of available water, to the extent of hindering or even preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life...
climate and little vegetation coupled with the ground already being wet from a storm three days earlier caused very little water to be absorbed by the soil, and soon the streams were flooding. Within fifteen minutes after the rain began to fall, water rushed down the streams (mainly the Balm Fork), towards Heppner.
A steam laundry
Laundry
Laundry is a noun that refers to the act of washing clothing and linens, the place where that washing is done, and/or that which needs to be, is being, or has been laundered...
building on the southern edge of Heppner built across Willow Creek acted as a dam when the water arrived, failing
Structural failure
Structural failure refers to loss of the load-carrying capacity of a component or member within a structure or of the structure itself. Structural failure is initiated when the material is stressed to its strength limit, thus causing fracture or excessive deformations...
under the stress several minutes later. This sent a 15 to 50 ft (4.6 to 15.2 m) wall of water cascading down Willow Creek that quickly reduced many of Heppner's structures to rubble.
Some structures were ripped off their foundations and floated downstream. At its peak, over 36000 ft3/s of water raced down Willow Creek,
more than the average flow of the much larger Willamette River
Willamette River
The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States...
to the west.
Many people were able to escape to higher ground, but 247—nearly a quarter of Heppner's population at the time—died. The waters finally receded around an hour later. Two-thirds of the houses in Heppner were destroyed, and around 140 total structures, about one-third of Heppner, were washed away. Heppner's population did not completely recover to pre-1903 levels until 1990.
After the flood inundated Heppner, two of its residents, Les Matlock and Bruce Kelly, rode on horseback to warn the cities of Lexington
Lexington, Oregon
Lexington is a city in Morrow County, Oregon, United States. The population was 263 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Pendleton–Hermiston Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
and Ione
Ione, Oregon
Ione is a city in Morrow County, Oregon, United States. The population was 321 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Pendleton–Hermiston Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Ione lies along Oregon Route 74, northwest of Heppner...
, 9 and 18 mi (14.5 and 29 km) downstream, respectively. The flood washed through Lexington at about 19:00, just before they arrived, destroying several buildings. Matlock and Kelly continued north to Ione, overtaking the flood and warning the bewildered residents to evacuate. One hundred and fifty homes were destroyed, but no one was killed. However, the floodwaters washed raw sewage from Heppner downstream, contaminating wells in both Lexington and Ione. As a result, at least 18 people died from typhoid fever
Typhoid fever
Typhoid fever, also known as Typhoid, is a common worldwide bacterial disease, transmitted by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the feces of an infected person, which contain the bacterium Salmonella enterica, serovar Typhi...
(Salmonella enterica enterica
Salmonella enterica enterica
Salmonella enterica enterica is a subspecies of Salmonella enterica, the rod shaped, flagellated, aerobic, Gram-negative bacterium. It is a member of the genus Salmonella. Many of the pathogenic serovars of the S...
serovar Typhi) over the next several months.