It's Impossible To Forget The Catastrophic Kansas Flood Of 1903
By Clarisa|Published June 03, 2018
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Clarisa
Author
Born and raised Kansan, Clarisa has lived in both tiny towns and cities during their time here in the Sunflower State. As a busy mother of one crazy kid, two cats, and two geckos, they write whenever there is spare time.
For many Kansans, certain years are marked with a natural disaster that affected a good portion of the state. Though it’s safe to say you weren’t alive for this event, the flood of 1903 should never be forgotten. There were many floods in this area, but the one that hit Topeka that year was by far the worst of them all. Let’s take a look back through history and remember what happened that day.
The year was 1903, and Kansas had been battered with late April freezes, tornadoes in mid-May, and more.
On May 29, rivers had been rising for almost a week, and rain wasn't letting up. The Topeka area of Kansas flooded, as well as other towns along the river.
Railroads couldn't move, and neither could most residents, because of the rising waters.
Water filled people's homes, and it's estimated that around 4,000 people left their homes behind when the water filled them. By June 1st, dead animals and standing water threatened to make everyone ill.
Those measures taken soon after this flood helped lessen the effects of the 1951 flood that would also test the area's disaster planning.
We don't have footage of that fateful flood, but we can see just how much of an impact it had in photo slideshows.
In this video by YouTuber CJOnline, you can truly feel the destruction from the flood.
Though you may or may not remember this event, the plane crash in Kansas that destroyed a whole neighborhood is also something we should never forget. What are some other events that left their mark on Kansas’ history? Feel free to share with us in the comments below.
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