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Folks in Northwest Arkansas received a sampling of the Great Flood of 1927, which began after months of heavy rain throughout the Midwest and South. Area rivers such as the White and Kings began to rise, flooding fields and towns built along their banks. Nobody in the Arkansas Ozarks died as a result, but throughout the South nearly 1,000 people were killed. In May 1961 a devestating flood struck Harrison as a wall of water said to be over 12-feet high surged into downtown. Merchants alerted to the rising waters of Crooked Creek were trapped in their shops as they tried to move merchandise. Four people died, 331 buildings were damaged or destroyed, and 100 cars were “tossed around like matchsticks.” Property damage was estimated at $5.4 million. “It was angry—so swift I had to hold onto something just to stand. It was cold and smelly as well. I reached up, and in the darkness I felt a seam in the old-fashioned squares of the ceiling above us. I pulled at the seam…and some of the tiles finally came loose. Our hands found the rafters…we held on. There were at least twelve inches of space between the ceiling and the second floor. Perhaps that would mean a few more minutes to life if the water pushed us up to reach it.” 1961 Harrison flood 1961 Harrison flood |
