Columbus and the Great Flood of 1913: The Disaster That Reshaped the Ohio Valley

by Conrade C. Hinds

Beginning on Easter Sunday, March 23, 1913, Columbus and the Ohio Valley endured a downpour that would produce the largest flood in one hundred years. Heavy rains came on the heels of an especially cold winter, resulting in a torrent of runoff over saturated and frozen ground. Rivers and streams quickly overflowed and levees failed, sending tsunami-like floodwater into unsuspecting communities and claiming four hundred lives. There were ninety-six deaths in Columbus alone when the swollen Scioto River emptied water that ran nine to seventeen feet deep through the streets of the near west side. Join Conrade C. Hinds and the Columbus Landmarks Foundation in a closer look at a flood disaster that reshaped the American Midwest.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

162 pages, Hardcover

First published April 17, 2013

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I finished this book, but the author was all over the board in his writings so I'm not really sure what his intention(s) was / were.

Towards the end of the first chapter, Hinds mentions that flooding has proved to be more deadly and disastrous in less developed regions of the world for two "very obvious" reasons: flood control and early warning systems that are in place, in this country.

However, flood "systems" were already in effect during the Great Flood of 1913, and this did not alter the devastation and loss of life caused by this disaster - In the book, Hinds even talks about and shows a photo of the South Bank Levee that failed along the Scioto River and sent a torrent of floodwater into Franklinton on the West end of Columbus.

I really expected this book to focus more on the flooding in Columbus during the historic flood of 1913, but very little of this book was dedicated specifically to Columbus. Instead, Hinds talked about Tiffin & Fremont and the Sandusky River, Cleveland and even the Canal system in Akron and the Cuyahoga River, Cincinnati, Ohio, the Great Miami and Maumee Rivers and their watersheds, etc. He also wrote about the Johnstown (PA) flood, as well as floods on the Mississippi River.

Towards the end of the book is a chapter on Readiness and Lessons Learned. We've learned a lot over the years, but can we really thwart Mother Nature? In my general observations, Ohio, in general, has done better - many cities now have floodwalls and evacuation patterns in place, but cities like Chillicothe, which has a floodwall to protect it from the Scioto River, has pushed full-steam ahead in building on their floodplain, i.e. Wal-Mart, Kohl's, car dealerships, etc. Pomeroy, which sits right on the Ohio River in Southern Ohio has no floodwall system in place and continues to flood (although you would not think it possible if you visit when the river is low) on a regular basis.

After doing a little research, I learned that the last big flood on the Ohio [River] was in 2018, but this was not as great as the one in 1997. Still, when the Ohio floods, all of its tributaries (Great Miami River, Scioto, Raccoon Creek, Hocking River, Muskingum, etc.) back-up and flood, as well.

As for other places in this country, the Great Mississippi River Flood of 1993 created a lot of devastation, as did the flooding from Hurricane Katrina in 2005, so Hinds "arguments" are unfounded.

Disappointed.

[Kara Prem · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be an informative look at the events which lead to the great flood in 1913, with a history of flooding in the state of Ohio and a bit about storms on Lake Erie. I can't say that this is really about the Columbus flood, as it seems that less than 40 pages actually discuss the flooding in Columbus. I would have loved to have read more accounts, seen more details on the effects in Columbus, but I can't fault this book, it is well written and detailed.

[Shawn McCalla]

Great Book, very informative. Very interesting historical publication.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very interesting, but overall the organization was lacking. The author would have a paragraph of statistics for a place followed by a paragraph of stats for another place followed by another. There would be multiple pages like that and it would be the whole chapter. There wasn't enough narrative to tie these subjects all together. My favorite chapter had to be the one about the "great run" because it showed the facts and stats about what happened but also included the stories about it as well. Very interesting book just wish it had been stitched together a little better.

[Jaci · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bor-ing. I didn't even finish. There were too many general statistics and they weren't even presented in an interesting way. Some of the "facts" were just plain stupid.The definition of a flood was when the water gets onto places that are usually dry! And when rain falls on dusty ground it makes mud. Really?! Anyway, read a book about the 1913 flood in Dayton instead. It was more interesting there.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best written book. Author including too many "x feet above flood stage in city y" throughout the book that could've been placed in appendix or tables - but not embedded in the narrative. However, I did find the history interesting. While I knew of the flood, I did not know the breadth of the flooding.

[wildct2003 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a good read. Some chapters easier to digest and get a feel for what happened. Choppy and confusing organization and writing. Would have liked and overview of how bad the flooding was in the region by use of a map showing where flooding occurred and how bad it was.

[Marley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of scientific (dry) and historical information and pictures, but needs an editor.