, 1927-07-27
C~LOUDBURST NORTHFORK
DAMAGES HOLM LODGE
Flood of Water Causes Much Dam
age to Waterways Tributary of
Northfork-Holm Lodge
Suffers Heavily

The cloudburst that broke over
the Sleeping. Giant, huge mountain
peak on the Northfork watershed,
on Thursday evening, did consider
able damage along the river. and
took out several of the small
buildings. and destroyed property at
Holm Lodge. a prominent tourist
resort there. Lower down the
Northfork, considerable damage was
done at the small bridges over
fGunbarrel. Moss, Newton and Clear
water creeks.
The cloudburst occurred just after
dinner Thursday evening. at a time
when the guests at Holm Lodge
were all assembled at the central
recreation cabin to witness an In
dian dance. The Indians were near
the creek and when The wall of
water came roaring down the creek,
they climbed to safety on a ridge
back of the lodge.
There had been a light shower
shortly BEFORE Miss Mary Shaw
yer of Holm Lodge said Friday,
but the first we knew of the cloud
burst was when some small boys
a in to say hat the creek was
getting high. No attention was
paid to them, however. and even
when we began to hear the roar
the engines of the cars bringing
guests from Pahaska. A seven
foot wall of water soon began
coming down the river, with logs
and boulders which piled up against
a bridge and forced the water
around through the barn and cor
rails, and the saddle shed. On the
way down the hill a heavy log,
smashed through the bath house.
turned 1t at right angles on its
foundation and then demolished 1t.
A tree also fell across the main
electric wire SO that the ground
light went off and for a time we
had no telephone service. Tex
Kennedy came to our rescue from
his cabin a short distance below
Holm Lodge as soon as the water
subsidized, and soon had the teIe-
phone in working order.
III. w. Thurston, who has a
lodge at Elepht-t head, where Mrs.
Thurston Is spending the summer,
and Nick Rienecker who has his
family at a cabin a short distance
above Holm lodge were notified,
in Cody. and with Kid Wilson and
Walter Foard started up the river
with a crew of men to reopen the
road. They left Cody at three
o'clock and after working at Clear
water and Gunbarrel removing logs
and debris from the roadway at
those places. With the arrival of
these men the road to the park
was open for travel again and no
inconvenience was caused the Park
tourists due to the flood"
The damage at Holm Lodge was
large to the bath house, the loss
of the saddles and riding equip
ment and the boulders and mud
which was washed into the cabins
and about the lodge grounds. A
large crew of workmen were started
to work Immediately and before
a day was over things had been
put in order and things were going
on very much the same as before
the flood. Some rs saddles were
washed down the creek. and only
a portion of these will be ~salvaged
from the banks of mud and debris.
Carpenters are busy repairing
the cabins and the loss will probab-
ly run into several thousand dol
lars.
This is the first cloudburst TO
hit Holm L0dgt in many years and
the loss this year would not have
been so great had lot the bridge
damned near the barn mourning
the heavy loss there. The lodge
is nicely located, most of the cabins
well back from tht small waterway,
and that any damage was done at
all marks the flood as a most un-
usual one.