Rapid City history lesson

Recent heavy spring rainfall and the 35th anniversary of the 1972 Rapid City flood looming have caused many locals to reminisce on the tragic events of the evening of June 9, 1972.

The first time I came to Rapid City I was immediately impressed by the beauty of the parks that are a major part of Rapid City. Starting with Canyon Lake Park, which is named for the lake it surrounds.

Rapid Creek flows through much of Rapid City as well as the parks, and is the cause for the lovely parks found throughout town. Now that I know the history behind the parks and why they are there it is easy to look at them and wonder what it was like back then in this same area where homes and businesses once stood.

The 1972 Flood (taken from wikipedia)

On June 9-10, 1972, extremely heavy rains over the eastern Black Hills of South Dakota produced record floods on Rapid Creek and other streams in the area. Nearly 15 inches of rain fell in about 6 hours near Nemo, and more than 10 inches of rain fell over an area of 60 square miles. According to the Red Cross, the resulting peak floods (which occurred after dark) left 238 people dead and 3,057 people injured. In addition to the human tragedy, total damage was estimated in excess of $160 million (about $664 million in 2002 dollars), which included 1,335 homes and 5,000 automobiles that were destroyed. Runoff from this storm produced record floods (highest peak flows recorded) along Battle, Spring, Rapid, and Box Elder Creeks. Smaller floods also occurred along Elk Creek and Bear Butte Creek. To prevent a similar tragedy from occurring in the future, the city's flood plain is no longer allowed to be built upon. Today the flood plain features golf courses, parks, sports arenas, and arboretums where neighborhoods and businesses once stood.

This website has many photos of the aftermath of the flooding. This article gives another synopsis of the flood. The really interesting part are the comments following the article, many written by those who survived the flood. Especially poignant are comments made by Arlie Davle who survived the flood while losing 3 members of her family.

I know no area is free from tragedy or natural disaster, many areas have been affected in far more devastating ways. Not only was I not living in Rapid City at the time of the flood, I was not even born. But since moving to Rapid City five years ago, I do feel a sense of loss and tragedy each year on the anniversary as well as each time I drive by or take my children to one of the parks, where so many people lost their lives.