The Johnstown Girls
Ellen Emerson is the oldest known survivor of the legendary Johnstown flood of 1889. Now, as the flood’s centennial year approaches, reporter Ben Bragdon and his girlfriend, Nina Collins, sit down to hear her story one more time for posterity. When Ben asks her for anything new she might be able to recall, Ellen not only obliges with a detail she’s kept to herself all this time but also admits to believing that her twin, assumed dead in the flood 100 years ago, is still alive somewhere today, and she doesn’t want to die before finding her. Intent on helping Ellen find her sister, Nina begins the search, while Ben concentrates on writing the flood piece and rekindling his failing marriage. Though seemingly separate, the stories, Ben and Nina’s in the present and Ellen’s in the past, share a common theme of strength and perseverance in the face of hardship. The resulting narrative is a noble tribute to the people and history of Johnstown and to the unassailable spirit of independent women through the years. --Cortney Ophoff