floods 
In recent times, we have seen some high water, as shown by this June 2014 video. But nothing like those seen in the past.  Read on to learn about some of the flooding that we used to experience, beginning with the floods of 1858 that sent almost all of the pioneers of "Table Rock City" to other places.

the nemaha river

1858 - FLOOD nearly wipes out early settlers

This is from a history by C.W. Giddings, usually called the founder of Table Rock. The date it was written is uncertain. It appeared in an 1882 volume of histories and people by Andras. 

1876 - Lower town HOUSES and "fat" hogs CARRIED AWAY

May 11, 1876 --Lower town submerged, houses carried away.  This is from an unknown newspaper. (Not from the Argus, which was founded in 1882).
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1880 - Flood starts fire

An 1880 flood in Lower Town also caused a fire.  This is from a 1957 article written by Nettie Stehlik about the History of Pleasant Valley School.  
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1889 - railroad elevated because of bfloods results 

This is from a 1934 history of the Bunker Hill neighborhood by Elsie Pepoon.

June 16, 1898 - the a & N railroad changed the course of its rail lines to deal with long time flooding problems

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Photo 423 - Flood at the depot. Undated, but from the nature of the photo, it is pretty old, probably from before 1900, perhaps representing what the A&N was dealing with in 1898.

Dr. Mccrea DESCRIBES BEING CAUGHT IN A FLASH FLOOD AS HE DROVE HIS BUGGY BACK FROM A RURAL CALL.

FLOOD At the old mill site

Photo 426 - A flood on the Nemaha at the old mill site. The mill reportedly ceased operations in 1900.

Enhancements and crops of this photo that reveal more details of the old mill in the shadows are below.  
Crops and enhancements bring out the details of the old mill that is partially in shadows in the original unretouched photo.

Probably the nemaha - but where & when?

Photo 4. There is no date. The back is marked Eva Linn, who probably owned the photo.
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probably the nemaha -- but where and when?

Photo 425.  This bridge appears to be the railroad bridge north of Table Rock, but the photo bears no annotation.
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The following photograph (Photograph 869) is labeled as train crossing the Nemaha.  Looking at the concrete pillars might lead one to think that it is the same bridge, i.e., the bridge above is the railroad bridge north of town.  When the picture below was posted on Facebook, the surmise is that it was on the Nemaha 3-1/2 miles north of Table Rock. 
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floods - taylor branch

date unknown - probably before 1915

Photo 492. This is probably of the bridge into Lower Town.  If so, it is probably before 1915; compare the bridge with the bridge in 1915, below.
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Details of Photo 492.  Look at the bridge, the telephone pole on the north side of the road, and the house to the right in the trees, and compare to the 1915 flood picture below.  It appears to be the same bridge, but an earlier time.

1915 flood

Photo 675 is identified as being in Lower Town 1915.
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Here are excerpts of Photo 675 showing detais.  The closest house is probably on the lot where Donnie Kalina now lives, which was built and lived in for many years by the Hillers. The Hillers may have built their house in about 1958.
Photo 424, the original and an excerpt, another view of the flood.

1919 - Brick yard flooded "leaving a mass of smoldering ruins," bridge across taylor branch impassAble, "woodpiles and chickens" moved to safety

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1941 and 1944.  RICH SILT LEFT IN 1941, BRIDGE wiped out IN 1944

The 1944 flood took out the "last two" of the bridges over the Nemaha, leaving only the "Luthy" Bridge. This is from the history of the Pleasant Valley School written by Nettie Stehlik in 1957; this appeared in the August 1, 1957 edition of the Argus.
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