These are the Flood of memories our classmates have shared about June 9, 1972.  If you have a thought to share with one of the authors, go to their profile page on this website and either leave a comment or send them a message...  if you have a story to share, go to the "tell your story" tab.  Thank you to all who have shared your memories here:

A woman I babysat for was frightened during the storm so I told her to come and stay at my families home. Luckily she agreed as all that was left of her home were the front concrete steps. Her husband was safe at work. Unfortunately her car was stolen from my driveway as in the torrential rain she was just concerned of getting her and her little one in and safe. 😢 she left the keys in the car. 
- Shirlee Fox (Aus)

My story can right now be found in the search box for utube surviving the 72 flood. It is a edited version with the full story being released June 9th Also a coffee table photo book that was produced by Seth Tupper and Johnny Sundby called surving the 72 flood is out . Randy Shacklett - Gayle Nemeti - Ed Healey perished that night and were with me.
- Michael Faust   [Editor's Note:  Mike shared much with us after this entry.  For his full story, a link to the SDPB documentary preview featuring his story, his epilogue and some pictures, go to the "Loss and Survival by Mike Faust" tab]

I was a Dietary aide at St. John's Hospital At 4:30am The sister in charge Who had been handling the crisis alone, called me in saying we had an emergency, . Driving in from the East side of town , I really didn't see the worst of the destruction. Once there, I was confronted with displaced pregnant women from Bennett Memorial, laying on mattresses in the hallways. All employees were approached and given THYPHOID shots (ouch!). Next thing I knew I was in charge of the cafeteria trying to feed and care for people in shock and grieving. A carefree 18 yr old , grew up fast, relying heavily on my Faith. The heartbreak and strength of the survivors, has never left me.
- Mary Lees Brown

I was out on a date and we were hanging out at a friends house located in the gap. It used to be a motel with small cabins they rented out monthly. Since I was only 17 I still had a curfew. I was asking to please get going because the rain was so bad. Next thing I know water is covering my feet and rushing into the cabin. I asked him to hurry…I would be waiting in the car. More worried about being late for my curfew. So I got in the car, left the door open for him and water had begun to fill the car. In an instant it was up to my neck and the car started to float. I fought my way out of the car, grabbed this little kitten that had somehow got in the car with me. I held onto a chain link fence for my life. Cars, furniture and so much debris floating down the road. Too dangerous to cross the road to get to Dino hill. The guys found a rope and tied it to the tree, then he fought his way across the road in chest high water to tie the rope to the tree across the street. By now there were about 6 of us trying to get across. Then….here came this giant gold colored Cadillac with an older man hanging out the window, smoking a cigar and acting like he was out for a Sunday drive. HE took out our rope. The guys managed to get it back and retie it. We crossed the water that was chest high with debris tearing up our legs. We all made it across and just standing up the hill a little….in shock. We all walked up this road that led to the several homes up the hill. We knocked on the door and the people were shocked to see us all and to hear was going on. Soaking wet and covered in mud…..they invited us all in. They had white or very light colored shag carpeting. We made a mess. They gave us blankets and towels and took us to a room that had several sets of bunk beds. None of us could sleep or barely talk. We hung out for a couple of hours then decided to walk down the hill to see what had happened and what was left. The screams for help were very terrifying. Water had receded and was now just knee high. We sat and watched and listened. Horrifying night. As we were waiting along came a group of kids I went to school with LOOTING the cars and stealing stereo systems. I can still see the one guys face, he was always a trouble maker. We started throwing rocks at them and chased them back towards town. I have NEVER lived by a creek or any body of water. All my homes have been up on a big hill. Always will. 
- Linda S Holmes-Ransbottom

My friend and I decided to go camping in the hills that day. After we arrived the weather worsened. We considered waiting it out but changed our mind and decided to come home. So glad we did! Later that evening I was home alone and heard water running in the basement. I went down to check it out and there was water just pouring down behind the paneling! I was unable to reach my parents by phone so I set out in my car to hunt them down but the water was so high in the streets that my brakes got wet and wouldn’t work! Eventually my parents came home and we were able to pull back our carpeting and clean up the water damage. We were upset at the time but then very thankful we had such limited damage in comparison to what happened that night! But there’s one thing that stands out in my memory most. We lived across the street from Behren’s Mortuary and they had so many dead bodies they had to bring in refrigerated trucks to store the bodies. I could hear the trucks running all day long and all night long…it was a constant reminder of the death and destruction the flood had caused our community!
- Debbie K Brandt (Parker)

I had been married almost 6 months, when the flood hit. We had purchased a mobile home and had it parked in Brookdale Estate Trailer Park, on Omaha St. It was a Friday evening, so we went to the drive-inn movies. Finally at 11 pm we were tired of the power going out and all the rain. It was raining so hard that you could not see the screen at times. As we were driving home and over the bridge that was over the creek - I looked down at the creek. The creek was a few inches from going over the bridge, but we did not seem concerned. As we drove into the trailer park, we noticed that the first 3 mobile homes had been moved out. The only thing we could think was WHY?? We had no idea that they had been to the trailer park and made everyone leave. Although, the road was NOT closed and we were able to drive right to our home. We looked around at the neighbors homes and not lights or anyone around. We turned the tv on just before going to bed, and heard about the flooding. Jerry wanted to go to bed and I wanted to go over to my parents house on Cleveland St. After much begging, he agreed to come with me. The trailer park was in loops and we tried to go out the north road only to have to turn around and go out the south road - as the waves were following us. We arrived safely at my parents home. The next morning I went to the car to listen to the radio, only to hear that Brookdale Estates had been wiped out. After it got light outside, we decided to try to get to where our home was to be. We were able to walk into the trailer park and find our home. It was still together, but moved down stream alittle. We were able to crawl into the back door, where there was nothing messed up, but then towards the front of the trailer there was mud up to the ceiling. We opened the fridge and the oven and muddy water just poured out. Of course, what could you do -- nothing but cry. We were one of the lucky ones, we had flood insurance on our mobile home!! We looked around and found our second car up in a tree. Although, we did lose our mobile home, everything in the mobile home and our second car, we still had our lifes. To this day, I know I have had things - but have to think about it and realize I lost it in the flood. The funniest thing is that, we were going on a trip to Florida in two weeks - so the suitcases were all packed on the bed in the second bedroom. Did we shut them and take them with ---NO!!! So, we lost all of that - including my wedding pictures!! I have come to learn it just made us stronger and we have had a wonderful marriage of over 50 years! We have moved many times and I will NEVER have a home next to any water, especially a creek or river. 
- Teckla Hesla (Ball)

It had been very humid for 2 days before that fateful June night. My brother, Don (RCCHS '74), and I finished work at my dad's mobile home park that Friday afternoon and headed to Pactola Lake to go water skiing with Brian Kelly (RCCHS '74). We had our boat in tow. By the time we got to the mouth of Dark Canyon, we heard on the radio that there was water over the road at Johnson Siding. This sounded very improbable, but we turned around and went back home. It wasn't raining very hard at the time.We dropped the boat off, picked up my good friend, Craig Willan, and drove to Canyon Lake. Craig's brother, Brent, was dating Cathy Hurley (sp?) who lived across the street from the spillway. During previous "high water events", locals in the area used long poles that were stored alongside Hurley's garage to push floating debris through the spillway. We assured Don and Brian that we could catch a ride home, so they took off in the truck. We later learned that they were probably some of the last people to make it across the 38th Street bridge. They were warned that the water was just below the bridge deck. They backed up a healthy distance and shot across the bridge at 50+ mph. Back at the dam, it was raining quite a bit harder now and getting dark. BHP&L showed up with a service truck that provided light for visibility, and someone showed up with keys to open the padlocks on the chains that secured the flood gates. I think it was Leonard Swanson, (Swanie), the City Engineer. At first, we used the poles to push through floating debris and tree branches, but soon the situation got more difficult. Docks from the west side of the lake, with paddle boats still attached, floated to the face of the concrete spillway and broke apart in a twisting mass of metal and wood. Individual paddle boats broke away from the docks, shot through the opening below the walkway, and rode the crest of the raging water into the darkness downstream. At one point, I looked down into the park area and my mind couldn't determine if the little "'care-takers" cabin, with the lights still on, was moving - or if I was moving. Mystery solved as, after a few seconds, the electrical wires were ripped from the building in a shower of sparks and the lights suddenly went out. With the water now just a few feet below the base of the rock wall along the top of the dam, we could see the roof of a house floating towards the spillway. It was not long after, and with an uneasy feeling about everything that was happening, that Craig convinced me to leave the dam and find higher ground. Most everyone else was leaving also, so we walked back to Cathy's house. This was probably between 10:30 P.M. and 11:00 P.M.. We borrowed Cathy's car, drove up what is now Park Drive, and spent a fitful night trying to get some sleep in clothes that were soaking wet. In the early dawn and drizzle of Saturday morning, we drove down to Cathy's house and dropped off the car - marveling that the dam had held. That all changed when we walked up on the concrete walkway above the gates. A gash, probably wider than 100 feet, had been torn through the earthen dam on the other side of the spillway and cars littered the bottom of the lake. The devastation was pretty complete, but we had no idea that anyone had been killed. Wanting to get home, we started walking east along streets that were still running lots of water. There were fish swimming everywhere, ducks paddling within the foundation footprints of homes that had been swept away, and household items were laying everywhere. We stopped at a friend's house along Jackson Blvd. to make sure the family was okay and then continued our journey across town - catching rides whenever we could. There were mobile homes on fire in the gap and Mt. Rushmore Road was still running water from curb to curb. It took us most of the day to get to Craig's house near Robbinsdale School, but I can't recall to this day how I got home. Craig probably saved my life that night. It is something we have talked about often. Others were not as fortunate as Craig and I. Ed Healy was a good friend. - Ken Wrede
- Ken Wrede

Not quite "my" story, but we have friends here in Washington, who were in the Air Force, stationed at Ellsworth, who lived down by Rapid Creek in Rapid Valley. Their mobile home and most of their possessions were lost. We heard their story while getting acquainted at our Methodist church, probably 35 years later. My memory is that our family had taken a drive through the hills that day. When we got back to town we heard there had been a cloudburst. Living on our ranch in Rapid Valley on a big hill, we went on home. Later that day and into the next days the full impact of what occurred sank in. My Dad and brothers were out helping with cleanup and I remember that they had to get typhoid shots. I didn't leave home for a few weeks. My Grandfather, Raymond Johnson was instrumental in promoting building Pactola Dam for water storage and flood control. He always was concerned about the flood potential into RC. He died in Feb, 1972. My grandmother felt he would have been terribly distressed about the flood, with his worst nightmares coming true. Not near as exciting as some of your experiences. 
- Jeanne Johnson Harmon

Around 5:30 the morning of June 10th I was awakened by my dad (Roger Larson) who told me there had been a bad flood overnight and that people needed our help! He said get dressed right now and let’s go! We drove downtown to what I recall was the old National Guard auditorium where he dropped me off, still in a fog, and went on to see where he could be helpful. I joined a line of volunteers who were waiting to receive various vaccinations. I remember getting shots in both arms by something that resembled a gun and could provide multiple shots before being reloaded. Volunteers were required to be wearing shoes, preferably something that we didn’t mind getting wet. Pretty sure most of us were in tennis shoes. Once we received our shots we were loaded into the back of National Guard trucks and sent out to various destinations. Our group, I believe we were 12-18 to a group, was sent down to the 6th Street bridge, now home to the Civic Center and a park (I don’t recall if the bridge was still intact) and told to assemble with our group leader who I assume was a Guardsman. He assigned us to positions in the water and on the banks of a still very swollen Rapid Creek and told us to report any survivors, victims or suspicious debris. As I recall much of the area had been searched overnight and our job was to make sure nothing had been over looked. The 6th Street bridge area was home to many small houses that had for the most part been swept away or severely damaged. As we trekked on downstream toward what was than Frontier Ford we saw cars stacked like dominoes against trees, telephone poles, and buildings. We continued on downstream to Roosevelt Park and went through a nearby mobile home park. I remember finding my soon to be broth in-laws (David Cowling) mobile home amid the destruction at the park and praying that he was a survivor. As it turns out he was out of town that weekend but had no home to return to. The mobile homes were scattered like so much litter, many just jumbled piles of metal and wood. We continued on downstream through this path of destruction until we reached what used to be Gateway Lanes and were instructed to get out of the water. The destruction that we witnessed along our route was like nothing I have ever seen. A National Guard truck met us at Gateway and we piled back in and returned to the auditorium. I have no idea how long we were in the water and I’m sure we looked like a bunch of Zombies when we got back to the auditorium. The whole experience was just so surrealistic. Even today I have a hard time processing what my 18 year old self and others were witness to. Our heart felt prayers to survivors, and families of victims on this 50th anniversary of this tragedy. 
- Wayne R Larson

It is quite moving to read these various accounts of the Flood, now 50 years later. The portrayal given by Mike Faust was especially riveting to read. Between the Flood and the Fire, our Class’s rite of passage was deeply impacted on many levels. At the time of the Flood, RCSD was in the middle of an international band festival. Our family was hosting a German father and two sons, and we had spent the week with the other host families and their German guests partaking in various events and concerts. On that rainy Friday night we were all at the Stevens auditorium listening to the German Band in a final concert. Literally in the middle of one piece, the Fire Marshall came out onto the stage, interrupted the music, and directed everyone to go home immediately after warning of an impending flood. He clarified which sections of town that could be reached safely and which areas to not try and return to due to the danger of rising water. That presence of the Fire Marshall was dramatic in its own right, but little did we know what was to follow. I do know that one group of German student musicians spent the night on top of Baken Park shopping center, and unfortunately one of the host families, the Dietels, tragically lost family members to the Flood. Our family, living on the south side of town, had no physical damage to our home. We spent time volunteering with the clean-up process in the days following. I left RCSD about 10 days later for a 14-week trip to Turkey, as part of the AFS exchange program. Leaving the flood-stricken city for Istanbul was almost surreal, and emotionally confusing.
- Kathie Wendt (Pellegrini)

I was working at Mark's Restaurant in the little ice cream stand separate of the main building the afternoon/evening of June 9. Mark's Restaurant sat behind Baken Park on W Main St next to Rapid Creek. As I was working, we were getting a lot of people driving up getting out of their cars and looking at the creek rising & several buying ice cream cones. One man asked me if I was going to stand on my ice cream machine when the creek flooded. He said that a 15 ft wall of water was reported at Johnson's Siding. The mother of one of our waitresses who lived in Piedmont, had called wanting her to leave and get home. Wayne Pfleger, the owner, told me he was going to close the main restaurant but to keep the ice cream stand open, after all, business was good.
It started raining heavier as it got darker and there was just an eery feeling in the air. Wayne told me to go ahead a close up, which ,meant cleaning the ice cream machines. He was leaving but his son, Lowell, and one other employee were going to stay & close the kitchen. My then boyfriend, Dan, had come to check on me and waited as I cleaned up to close. We had walked over to the creek to look at how high the water was. I said, "boy, it won't take long before the water is coming over the banks." He assured me that would have to be a lot of water before that would happen. As it rained harder with thunder & lightening, there became a real sense of urgency to get out. Before leaving I checked on Lowell to make sure he was getting out too. Dan & I drove to my house in Robbinsdale. The next morning I woke to KOTA radio saying, this is just awful there is no more Canyon Lake Park and continued reporting on the grim situation. As it turned out, the clock in the restaurant had stopped just 10-20 minutes after we had left. The restaurant was destroyed and the ice cream stand was long gone never to be seen again.
~Mary Jane Wolfe Carroll