100 years ago

april 19, 1917

One of the most destructive floods, which towns and surrounding country ever experienced, came early Tuesday as the result of a cloudburst in the territory around Lincolnville and Antelope. The damage in the Clear Creek and Mud Creek valley was large. The alarm sounded here about one o’clock. No rain had fallen here and it was with difficulty that people believed there was any danger. At half past one Mud Creek started to jump—something like ten feet per hour. Most of the merchants on Main street sustained some loss. The water was in every business house except the Record office, which escaped. It lacked about two inches of getting onto the floor of the newspaper building.

The most tragic incident of the flood was when Mr. and Mrs. Otto Bartel of east of Hillsboro came to Marion Tuesday afternoon to see the flood sights and were just driving into town. Over the years, the Cottonwood has been eating into the street. There was a heavy fence protecting drivers but evidently the bank had caved a little more, taking the fence out. Mr. and Mrs. Bartel drove right into the open river just east of the Cottonwood Valley Mill and the team, buggy, and all simply dropped into twenty to forty feet of water. There would have been no way to save them, even if there had been anyone close enough to make the attempt. Both bodies were recovered Wednesday, a short distance below where the accident happened.