The Great River Flood of 1876
As heavy rains inundate the Duwamish Valley, Seattle settlers and livestock struggle to survive the rising waters.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The oldest settlers say the high water is the worst the country has known. The river is higher than it stood yesterday. The steamer Duwamish, Captain Jackson, has been making trips up the river with a load of freight and fifteen passengers, only to find the channel obstructed with silt and logs. Along the river bottoms, the farms are all flooded. Many have taken refuge on the bluffs, most being rescued by their more fortunate neighbors. One dwelling was seen standing in water five feet deep, and the barn was flooded, with hay under water. Poultry have taken refuge on the tops of buildings and in trees, while the stock is scattered around on the highest knolls, standing shivering in the cold, water breast deep. The cows are bellowing, the pigs squealing, and the horses neighing. At the McNatt place, the cattle were huddled on a knoll in the woods, with water two or three feet deep. The railroad track from Henry Van Asselt's place up the valley was also under water. It is presumed that the damage has been greater on the river than on the Duwamish, but it is impossible to form an estimate. Much of the fence will be carried away, and large quantities of potatoes, root vegetables, and fruit stored in cellars will share the same fate. A great many cattle, hogs, sheep, and poultry will undoubtedly die from exposure.
“The cows were bellowing, the pigs squealing, the horses neighing, and the sheep bleating, all in the most pitiful strains.”
This 1876 report describes a familiar struggle with the Duwamish River, which historically flooded with regularity before massive 20th-century engineering projects like the Duwamish River straightening and the construction of the Howard Hanson Dam. Today, residents of the Duwamish Valley still grapple with the environmental consequences of that transformation and ongoing concerns over flooding and industrial pollution.
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