Waterways of West Virginia - Early Floods

Early Floods

The flood of January 9, 1762 destroyed much of Fort Pitt at the confluence of the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio rivers. It had reached a stage of 39.2 feet (11.9 m) feet at the Point according to University of Pittsburgh's 'Historic Pittsburgh.' Major George Washington on November 23, 1753 described the elevation of normal pool, "The Land at the Point is 20 or 25 feet (7.6 m) Feet above the common Surface of the Water". The next major recorded flood was on April 10, 1806 reaching 37.1 feet (11.3 m) feet above normal pool. It was followed by the 1810 flood of 35.2 feet (10.7 m) feet above normal pool. The flood of 1816 reached 36.2 feet (11.0 m). Not all floods developed in the Ohio Valley up-river the tributary rivers of the state.

The first recorded flood on the Ohio River along the West Virginia shores was in 1768. The Mingo survivors declared it was the highest known. It swept away their village near today's Steubenville, Ohio. The "Great Pumpkin Flood" occurred in 1811. After some days of drizzling rain, the storm increased causing a very rapid raise of the river. It washed away outhouses, out buildings and all sorts of ground drift. The bottom's pumpkin field's bumper crop was washed away.

The 1832 flood was exceptionally destructive campared to earlier floods do to increased individual capital investing. Government encouraged Homesteader's development had not figured on that occasion of extra high water levels on the flood plain bottoms. The 1852 flood was one foot lower than the 1832. Although, the steamboats were able to navigate over islands with no problem of grounding. With more industrial growth along the river routes, this flood was the first to wreck wealthy industry investors.

The Spring flood of 1860 was average 40 feet (12 m) above pool. Team of horse and plow method, many muddied bottoms did not make vegetables nor grain before first frost. The following year in 1861 during the fall saw a few more feet higher. Many of these fields did not mature soon enough. These series of floods and harsh winter devastated the farm bottom crops and two season's income. Furthering early Civil War hardship, gathering civil groups commandeered remaining farmer's seed stock during this period. Decades ago an elderly steampacket engineer out of Kanawha Harbor declared, the Rebels not only took the egg, but the chicken-two. The local small packet's egg run found little local produce to deliver to the river town markets. Support from the Union supply depot at Parkersburg Logistics Center reestablished in 1862 their local produce procurement. This assistance encouraged local farmers to side with the Union and some river workers to recruit (Matheny, H. E. 1987).