The Johnstown Flood of 1889. The storm sprang from the combined actions of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, who had significantly altered the landscape of the area around the South Fork Dam. The South Fork Dam was built in the mid 1800s to create a lake as a recreational area for the wealthy members of the club. However, the dam had been poorly maintained since its construction, and was not up to modern safety standards.
The storm that caused the flood began on May 31, 1889 and continued through June 1 of the same year. This storm, comprised of several days of heavy rain, caused the Little Conemaugh and Stony Creek River to swell beyond the capacity of the ill-kept South Fork Dam. At approximately 3:10pm on June 1, 1889, the dam breached and released a wall of water over 14ft high which surged downstream towards Johnstown.
The flood, in combination with the debris it swept along, caused devastating damage to the city of Johnstown, of which 2,209 people were killed and many left homeless. In the aftermath of the disaster, assessments of the cause determined that the South Fork Dam, poorly maintained for the past 30 years, was to blame for the flood’s severity.
The Johnstown Flood serves as a potent reminder of the importance of proper maintenance and upkeep of man-made structures, particularly those related to flood control and management. Had the South Fork Dam been maintained to modern safety standards, the severity of the flood and its destructive impact on the city of Johnstown would have likely been reduced.