The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-08-19
TOWN IS
MOVED z MILES
Moving Day in Ohio Com.
munity Part of Flood
Prevention Plan

DAYTON. Ohio, Aug. 1S.---The lit
tie town OF Osborne Is movins
Within period OF few months
the little city will be located on a
site two miles from its present loca-
ton.
Construction OF tho great Miami
Valley Conservancy district, at a
cost OF approximately S35.0OO.00O.
has necessitated the removal OF
this little city. The building OF u
dirt road, over which Osborne Will
make It's trek TO a new site alrea "
has been completed, and building'
In the little bitys business district
are being RACED. Homes are beinE
demolished or taken down. piece by
piece.
The citizens OF Osborne.-each o,
the l.251--are glad that moving
day has arrived. IN their new
homes up the road" they win bo
assured hat no repetition Of tho
1913 flood viii ever come.
When the flood OF 1919 ripped into
Dayton, Osborne also was flooded
when the citizens OF Dayton and
those OF sther towns and districts
In eight adjoining counties banded
themselves together TO make the
Miami valley safe for democracy
the Miami Valley Conservancy dis
trict, which is court or govern
ment unto Itself was formed under
laws OF the state Of Ohio.
VIII Build Five Dams.
The scheme for preventing a repe-
tition OF tho 1918 floods was worked
out by Arthur +. Morgan and asso-
ciates II called for the construc-
tion OF five great dams in the dis
| trict, with n system OF outlets or
spillways, which would release the
water behind the dams in such
quantities that the streams below
the dams would not he overloaded.
The dams have been completed.
| They are gigantic structures. and
they withstood the test OF this spring
| in such manner as to convince
even the most skeptical OF the wis
dom of the plan. Thirty-seven feet
/ OF water backed up behind some OF
the dams. which could have accom-
modated 100 feet more water with
| out danger.
There was hut one town within the
/ district which lay directly below
/ one OF the dams. The law creating
the district required that this town
/ be made safe I'm the future. Only
| two ways to do this were possible.
One was TO build a dam completely
around the town. The other was Ia
move the town bodily 10 higher
ground. some distance away. This
was regarded as the cheapest and
\ best method of solving the problem.
District Buys Property.
The conseryancy district then
| bought tho property OF the entire
town, through condemnation pro-
ceedings, and resold the buildings
to the owners who wanted them. A
/ few there were who decided to go
along with the old town to the new
site and build new homes. This
was done in a number OF cases. the
old buildings being abandoned for
disposal as the district may see fit.
II was a money-making deal for
the owners. as they made about
$4,000 through the double transac-
ton,
The new town site was selected by
q holding company known as the
Osborne Removal company. The
new site was plated. sidewalks con-
structed, streets laid out. trees plant
ed. gas. water and electric lines put
In, a location set aside right in the
center OF the business district for a
public park. fountain, shrubbery
and other things that go to make W
a regular civic center.