Eddyville was founded by Jabish P. Eddy, in 1841, before Iowa became a state. It was a place for trade with the Indians and for pioneers to provision and ford the Des Moines river.
1903
1944
1993
EDDYVILLE IOWA
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Eddyville FLOODS
THE EDDYVILLE TRIBUNE
1944
DES MOINES RIVER FLOODS LOWLANDS AND GARDENS: HIGHEST STAGE WAS 22.8 FEET
River reaches 22.8 flood stage, receding slowly all this week. A general easing of flood conditions in Eddyville is reported this week as overflow waters are receding slowly and several days will be low enough to allow the folk to rest and homes that have been abandoned will be opened to the owners. The river began rising on May 19 when it was reported by C W Odem at 12.2 feet and steadily rose all week until Wednesday where it stood at 22.80 feet just two feet under the flood stage of 1903 when it was checked at 24.00. Tuesday all day the steady rise had put the water out in the low lands and the banks and levees were barely able to hold the water from flooding the town. Volunteer workers began work on that day hauling sand and filling bags to add to the levees that were constructed in 1935 which were thought high enough to hold back any normal flood. That evening Sheriff Mateer from Oskaloosa secured the services of the Iowa Guard from Oskaloosa after a call to Governor Hickenlooper and the guard was on duty until Friday when all danger was thought to have passed. Headquarters for the guard was set up in the high school and working in shifts they helped townsmen not only guard but also in levee work. A number of families were warned early in the evening to evacuate their homes and they likewise moved into the rooms in the school building where they were made warm and dry. Cots ordered from Red Cross headquarters failed to arrive until the danger of the flood was past. Red Cross headquarters was set up in the school and after establishment by Carl Powell local chairman and Dr J E Traister head of health an official from national head quarters of the Red Cross and from the State Health Department took over the directions of operations. The two danger spots in the levees protecting the town were in the northwest part of Eddyville near the M and St L Station where the water lapped the top of the levee and was kept from flowing over by a temporary barricade of a double row on sandbags that extended from over 200 feet along the tracks North to the station. The second spot was in the southwest part of town at what is locally known as the crossing for the high line to Albia. Here the levee likewise was supported by additional sandbags but these failed to b e high enough and together when the seepage that weakened the permanent levee did not hold the water from the town in the southwest. The new levee along Plum street held out for a time but backwater caused overflows in several spots that allowed backwater to come slowly in to the town from the southeast closing off streets. At 400 a.m. Wednesday morning the zero hour for most of the workers was reached and engineers from Rock Island here to help, stated that the area for levee construction was too great and the time too short for any hope of protection should the river rise more than one foot higher. The levees were all seeping water and coming into town from every corner and other families that had thought themselves safe were warned to be ready to move out at a few moments notice. Sherriff Mateer had secured a number of boats in Oskaloosa and trucked them to Eddyville for use in evacuation families should the need arise. Wednesday all day the water hung around the 24.00 foot stage and water continued to back up in the town until it had reached the lumberyard at 5th and Walnut flooding practically all the low part of town to the southeast. In the other direction water following the low spots had filled all the ditches and gardens overflowing highway 137 north to Oskaloosa and stopping traffic on that road. Nearly all the gardens along the low spot in Eddyville was flooded with water and at the S P Crosson home the garden was filled and flowing over the sidewalk into the ditch. It is impossible to name all the properties suffering from flood waters but to say the south part of town has more than its share of flooded gardens. The highway to Albia has been closed for over a week and the rock road to Bridgeport has been under water and what damage has been done to these roads cannot be estimated until the water has completely left them and is back in the channel. Monday morning the water level stood at 20.35 feet which is a fall of only 1.85 foot since Wednesday and the older residents report that it has dropped slower this year than any time in their memory. City officials stationed a large pump at the south end of town pumping the water over the levee of the flood water that is seeping into the town. The work will hold the water from flooding more property and in case of a slight drop further the gates in the south levee can be opened and relieve the flood water inside. Wednesday May 31 the river was below the mark set on May 19 when the rise started with C W Odem reporting a stage of 18.9 feet which marked the best news of the week for Eddyville folk. The flood gate at the southwest corner of the town had been raised after a pump had been used for several days to lower the level inside the levee and water can escape from the south part of town as the river falls. Streets in the lower part of town are showing again and by the end of the week it is thought that all streets could be traveled. – Eddyville Tribune, June 1st, 1944.
THURSDAY JULY 3RD, 1947
Cleaning up as River Recedes
Eddyville is emerging from it’s 4th Flood in three weeks.
After the Des Moines River had been doing its dirtiest to mess up to the 10 over the past three weeks Thursday morning the floodwaters had subsided enough to allow passage into the main core of town on the east and west side walks from the rock island tracks without rubber boots on.
Never in the memory of the oldest inhabited has any bill had such a thorough soaking. The doubling river at various times in the past, at the time in the June freshest has gone on to other aquatic high lonesome but never before has it been so inconsistently persisted in repeating the sloppy performance, it was wet four times in three weeks and the merry month of June. While the town had ample warning from the morning, the high water was on its way, in the decade past Eddyville had built up and banquets that successively held out the floods of previously years, notably that of 1944, which was at the 22.40 foot level, nearly seven Haslett above any bills 15th that flood stage.
But the flood came irresistibly an overwhelmingly. After all right battle against the impending flood, the worn out workers at dawn realize they were lit. The flight was lacking the tops of the levees along the whole riverfront.
As it began to trickle of the south wall, the word went out to vacate the town. The earliest flood water as always, the get the backing from the lower end of town. But when the Levee was over topped, over the M& St L tracks the river itself for it in full strength. Then was where power and rowboats from everywhere were rushed to the rescue, and by evening Eddyville was a deserted village its people have been evacuated and the water took possession, not only of all but about the score of its 325 homes, but if every building in the business section. By nightfall of June 6, it had over topped the flood of 1903, the previous record high by three and 1/3 feet, establishing a new high of 27.80 feet.
It was the following Monday, before the river had following enough to allow the business men to get back into their place of business to assess the damage and clean out the mud and wreckage; as well as to let the hows and whys and hows husbands get back into their homes that had not been so deep in the water, to begin to take out of the half foot deep carpet of thick mud which every four was covered, what was left for saving other finisher, floor coverings and house furnishings. One only had a look in any one home in the submerge district to witness the havoc and ruined that was duplicated in greater or less degree in every other home it was true, that and none of these homes was there anything that was very gray and, by and everyone there was cherished pieces of furniture, wedding presents, family heirlooms and all the other fries objects to go to make the house to home. To say nothing of the family’s best clothing, wearing apparel, curtains and bedding AV rattled and song mess, for most got out with only the clothes they were wearing. The evacuation caught nearly also sent me.
For three days, the cleanup campaign carried on most famously brigades of volunteer workers from off the Lisa, given, cedar, right another nearby places came, labored mightily.
Then on Thursday came in new warning and a second flood, two or 3 feet higher than the first one was worn down the valley. Our people, who the week before thought the 1903 flood couldn’t be exceeded were sure that those unwilling rainmakers couldn’t.
By Saturday night June 14 the river over topped the previous level by 3 inches 28.15 feet to be exact period but that was more than enough to wipe out all the week’s cleanup that had been so labor’s lee and painstakingly done; all that works like the way less than ½ based time. This set of flood crest in about 1030 Sunday night after the river had dropped 14 feet Friday morning.
It was Tuesday before the flood had again dropped enough to allow for renewed cleanup. Again as before, the cleanup squads from outside Eddyville appeared with a powerful and well handled far apart hose tracks from Oskaloosa, Albion and paella, as well as the local fire truck, and the forceful Sump pumps from the atlas and other mines which shot searching spiriting flood of water that quickly lease in the mud and muck from the doors, and floors, windows, furniture and elsewhere enabling it to be swept, brushed in shell away with jigtime speed.
And after quite a number of homes and business houses had again been scrubbed out, flood number three was rolled in. And in making a very disquieting store upstream in the fort dodge sector, and cause a lot of uneasiness here, as by this time, our people were beginning to be ready to expect anything. No one seemed to be sure as to halt how high it would go this time, but they knew that however highlight came it would be too high. By this time, practically all were wearied and worried apathy. The big damage had been done, and recently settled down to watch and wait.
On Tuesday, June 24 flight number three had arrived in crested at 22.40 about the same as the 1944 flood. During the next three days, the water fell very slowly, dropping to the 18 foot level. Three days later came flood number four which steadily rose until a topic 23.10 feet 5 feet below the number two high of June 14.
22 foot 23 foot floods don’t excite Eddyville lights after what they’ve been through in 1947 floods. Number one and number two. And most of the houses, everything that is left is stacked up above the new high 28.15 foot level. Cleaning is practically at a standstill. Folks have just been sitting back, waiting for the river to make up its mind. When they are sure that the water will tackle the job of cleaning and restoring their homes to livable was a well.
Flood number four crested of 430 Friday morning. By 70 and had fallen 3 inches by 7:00 PM Saturday, it had dropped 5 inches more; by Sunday night, it had scored another 5 inch fall; by Monday night, it stood a scant 3 inches lower. Monday night however, it took a sizeable slide down the ladder 12 inches at 7:30 AM Tuesday. By this 30 in strop in three days, it had opened the main streets two on 1 foot traffic. Numbers of the Vac these are back in their homes, camping areas best they can. Others will come back as soon as they feel assured that the river is really on its way back into its banks.
Daly many truckloads of the breeze, john and the aftermath of the flood are being carted to the Dobbs. The matter of cleaning up the town is going ahead slowly but surely. And bonfire up by the rock island depot, as for pianos and sewing machines, ruined by the flood the near tailing off, finished boiled, ivory keys falling apart, sounding board the story, were piled up and burned last week, the iron their of being the only salvage.
Contributions of clothing, bedding and starter set in, is being distributed as expect speed is for and as equitably as the occasion demands. In every case, the Red Cross aim is to get the most where the need is greatest, and again that he promptly. While the loss of others may be greater, if they have an independent means our income in short, as they are able to finance the road losses and pay their own way, they expected to do so.
At the Red Cross headquarters at the schoolhouse, meals are still being serve to those not yet able to get back into the houses and have them rehab allocated into livable state. Numbers are dependent upon electricity for the cooking, have not yet had their stoves soaked up. Others, too, are still using red cross sleeping quarters at the schoolhouse dry out of it.
Take it all in all, $0.5 million would be conservatively estimate as to Eddyville slight loss. Say nothing of the distress, the worry and inconvenient suffered by his 1000 evacuees. 14 on the higher ground those and escorted eagles homes not bathed in the mud of the repeated floods, didn’t know throughout the night whether their turn was not coming next, as in most cases it was just a matter of inches. One of the questions most often asked by outsiders, coming in to be the results of the flood, is will the people be flooded out, look back into the town? Will the town ever recovered?
To all such, the answer is surest thing in the world! all the important cities and Iowa are situated along its Rivers, and all of them like any bill have suffered more or less from the unprecedented series of flash storms and floodwaters.
Eddyville has frequently in its 103 years of history had floods, but never for such record breakers in succession. Since June 6 the greater part of town has continuously but under water, and in the past two days a sunny skies and Ford summer weather is fast emerging.
But the one dominant factor the whole distressing flood, is that thousands of four friends that everywhere and listened to extend helping hands and open hearts and homes to Eddyville. Where in this country or elsewhere, will you find a community surrounded by better friends known and unknown more bountiful, more hospitable, more unsparingly generous in extending aid, a row, physical, financial and material, then Eddyville.
How the Red Cross worked organization is on the job day and night
When the Red Cross arrived in town, the first up an organization was to establish headquarters, where the evacuees and refugees might converge and register, so that they might be supplied with proper food and shelter.
This headquarters was promptly opened a PETA public school buildings, work a commisary was shortly established, and cots and blankets were installed. About 75 were taken to the Mabel Airport Basin Ottumwa, numerous others were taken to the salvation army Oskaloosa. Others found shelter with friends and relatives in surrounding towns are country. All were adequately cared for.
Corel panel was selected as the local Red Cross representative in charge overall. Miss Marguerite Potts out of the St. Louis Red Cross headquarters, is here to take records of the losses of individuals and families, suffered in these floods. These losses will be carefully considered in the red cross will make recommendations as to the approximately amount of loss in each case allowable.
An advisory committee consisting of a number of local people best equated with Eddyville flood sufferers, their circumstances and requirements, likewise their financial means, incumbent were earning ability and bank accounts, if any, will be appointed, and they will decide the amount of relief equitable to each case.
Two each will be given accordingly to their needs, equitable in each case.
To leech will be given accordingly to their needs, not according to their losses. As thus the flood sufferer, who may have had a sizeable loss, but has the means to pay for some, will get nothing, while others whose losses while complete, may not total much, maybe rehabilitated in even better shape than before the flood, if a standard of ordinary decent living shows that they are entitled to it. To those who need is greatest, will be given where we have to meet that need.
And out of town building expert, will be here Thursday to make an estimate on the approximate damage to buildings, floors, walls, foundations, wallpaper and pain required farms, the rajahs, toilets and other buildings swept away, rector damage, the cost of repairing or replacing them.
The property owners can buy the materials lumber, paint, etc. where they prefer; and can have any party they can afford to do the work finished the job and inspected by the Red Cross, and if done to the satisfaction of the owner, the repairs replace the bill will be OK’d and paid by the Red Cross in the amount decided such sufferer is justly entitled to of flood relief.
The committee in charge of cash donations for Eddyville flood relief is Frank C Reed and Tom Brown. In building expert is expected to be in town this week to check up on damage to the various buildings still standing were swept away. He will report on foundations, walls, fortress up the way, windows and doors busted out, paint, wallpaper and plaster ruins etc.,