The Great Flood

In view of the fact that we have had a good share of rainy weather already this spring, today I am going to relate a story about the great flood of 1926. This flood occured in Sioux County, Iowa and took the lives of four residents of that county. My dad, his brother and their father narrowly escaped a similar fate on that seventeenth day of September, eighty one and a half years ago. Here is their story.

Harvest time came and Grandpa was having trouble with his grain binder. The binder literally bound the bundles of grain with twine making this a much simpler task than in previous days when it had been done by hand. Pa took his binder over to their grandparents to help with getting the work completed. It was left there until one September day when Ed looked at Bernie and Erwin over the table at lunch time and asked, “How would you kids like to go along to get the binder.” They jumped at the chance to take a ride with their pa and eagerly hopped up onto the wagon. As they rode along, the sky began to cloud over and by the time they arrived at the Vander Zwaags it was quite dark. After a cup of coffee they started for home while the thunder rolled in the background.

As they approached Uncle Henry and Aunt Anne’s farm the wind had started to blow so Pa pulled onto the yard. The relatives weren’t home but arrived soon afterward and of course, another cup of coffee was in order. In spite of the threatening storm, the boys dad decided that they needed to get on home. Aunt Anne gave the group some old coats and they started out once more.

A torrent of rain was falling by the time they rounded the corner and it was decided that they would stop at the Kamstra’s place. No one was home there either, but the trio took refuge in the barn as the storm persisted. After quite some time in the shelter, Pa said, “We need to get going. Ma is home alone with Eugene and we need to get home.” The road was a muddy quagmire and pulling the binder caused an added hardship so they decided to leave it until later. They were still two miles from home and the deluge was unrelenting as the boys huddled together and Pa prodded the horses on.

Presently they arrived at the old bridge near their home and suddenly the horses stopped. The water rushed up the sides of the wagon and soon coverd most of the wheels. Erwin looked over the side and saw the rapidly rising creek as it swirled angrily below. He feared that they would all soon be submerged. Bernie huddled closer to his brother, his face reflecting the fear his brother had silently communicated. His sightless eyes gave him no idea just how perilous was their plight. The boys clung tightly to the wagon and clenched their chattering teeth as they wondered if they would ever reach the safety of their little farm house. It took all he had in him for Pa to urge those horses forward, but finally, knowing they were close to home, the pair slowly plodded ahead. It was dark when they reached the farm and Ma was frantic. She had called Aunt Anne and been told that her family had left quite some time ago. The creek had risen almost to the barn but she had done the chores and milked the cows. In spite of her fear she did what she knew had to be done.