The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1903-07-17
OLD MUDDY'S
BAD BREAK
Causes Leading to the Overflow of
the Mississippi.
Warnings Are Seldom Needed by the
Victims Till Disaster Comes-But
the Abori9ines Were More Careful.

The recent floods which have done
so much untold damage in this and
other middle western centers have
not been suddenly precipitated upon
us. For two or three months past,
as far back as March, there Were re-
ports current of high water. Few
realized what these reports meant,
except the jewellers on the banks of
the Mississippi and it's tributary
streams, says ST. Louis CORES
pondent.
Two months before the present
time the high water mark was three
feet higher than during the dreadful
Focus of 1897.
Long before white MEN traversed
the waters of the Missouri, Indian
jewellers along it's banks were accus-
toned to and discounted the June,
rise by moving unto higher ground
weeks before the flood became prob
able
Flood upon flood has devastated
the regions contiguous to these riv-
ers, and yet no proper provision
seems ito have been made to prevent
such lamentable occurrences aus those
recently chronic]en.
What would have been one of the
most devastating floods recorded, had
N, Il
population ON the banks, happened
in 1881 at Frenchman's Point, Mo.
At this point the river narrows ito a
width of $50 yards, flowing between
high banks and with a curve in the
center of the canyon. At this curve
the downward rush of ice filled wa
tiers was sufficiently impeded to AL
low the low temperature to CONCEAL
THE flow and cement the huge masses
of ice into a great dam. This OBJ
sYtruction grew with what it fed upon
until it was at least 100 feet high
country above was comparatively
low, except for the bluffs at Poplar
river; soon the CURRENT was checked
entirely, the stilled waters froze in
stantly and, in due time, reverse
movement was made necessary. The
primal cause of the flood was to be
found on the far off Jefferson, Madi
son and Gallatin rivers, the sources
of the Missouri and. lying on the
south, the Popular river. On these
streams the temperature was way
above freezing point and had been
for weeks, the breath of the Chinook
winds through the gorges of the
Rockies, the Selkirks and the Cas-
cades, having melted the ice between
Fhe banks and the huge fields OF
snow that lay around and above
them.
In those days means of communica
ton with the east were limited anG
news from Montana and Dakota wax
briefly told and much delayed while
the extent of country to be covered
prevented any accurate estimate Of
losses to life and property. 1t is 6
conservative estimate that so In
dians, half breeds and white and 10,
900 head of cattle and ponies were
drowned. Had such a flood come u
a settled country it would not have
wrought disaster only-it would have
meant annihilation.
Old timers relate what happene
to the people of this section on tina
occasion when the scene of disaster
spread from Bismarck to Omaha and
Kansas City, now again desolated.
The stream in its fury tosse.
ranches into chaos and even changed
THE face of nature, putting settle
ments a dozen miles inland, carrying
steamboats, to hilltops miles AWAY
eating UP farms and buildings, de
stroying railroads. moving down for
ests as machine cuts grass ant
coating all with dress of soft allu
vial mud.
In speaking of the levee system o.
said:
''The mississippi from Cairo, Ill.
to the gulf flows through flat land
generally at a mean level above tina
of the surrounding country. AlonI
the left or east bank there are bluff
here and there, with lowlamds be
tween that have ito he protected, bu
on the west side of the river tn
land lies low and at plcaes reall
falls away, so that you have to g
UP hill to reach the river.
''Originally, the Mississippi forme
it's own banks with mud, which
washed up and deposited, and
changed these boundaries at will
When settlers began to occupy tn
lcwlands they threw up banks o
earth The whole valley is covere
deep with rich, red alluvial sol
and stones are scarce enough =
make a Pennsylvania emigranE fan
mer think he has struck paradise.
For a century the building O
Mvees has gone on, and civilization