4/21/2011:
It’s springtime in the Red River Valley of the North. It’s a time when nervous crowds congregate on the riverbank to stare anxiously at the dark and sullen river. The muddy water forms eddies and swirls that quickly disappear as the river laboriously carries away the runoff of the melting snows that had formed a glacial-like carpet across the valley floor.
On this date in 1882, the people at Pembina were anxiously watching the river. Although the river was ice-free to the south, there was still major flooding – as witnessed by those on the steamer Selkirk, which had braved the debris-infested waters to bring passengers and freight to the city, and with them the much anticipated news.
The Red was on a rampage, and few towns along the river, from Fort Abercrombie on the south, to Winnipeg on the north, had escaped its wrath. Over one hundred houses had been set afloat in Fargo and much the same happened on the east side of the river at Moorhead. Shanty Town at Grand Forks was wiped out, and flood waters lapped at the doors of businesses on Main Street. Most of the bridges on the Turtle, Forest and Park Rivers had been washed away. The town of Acton in Walsh County was knee deep in flood water. The Grand Forks stagecoach attempted the run to Pembina, but in three days got only as far as Joliette when it was forced to turn back.
So far, the community of Pembina had remained dry, as the Pembina River was still ice covered, but everyone wondered what their fate would be. So, they turned to the town’s oldest resident for his prognosis. While he had not witnessed the catastrophic flood of 1824, Charles Cavalier had seen the floods of 1852 and 1861 and he believed the townspeople had nothing to worry about. After decades of watching the river, he believed the Red would recede before the Pembina River could add to the threat. Reassured that the worst of the great flood of 1882 would pass them by, they could now enjoy the warming days of the season and listen to the tuneful warble of wild geese as they saluted spring in the Red River Valley.
Dakota Datebook written by Jim Davis
Source:
The Northern Express (Pembina) April 21, 1882