Calamity: The Heppner Flood of 1903

by Joann Green Byrd

June 14, 1903, was a typical, hot Sunday in Heppner, a small farm town in northeastern Oregon. People went to church, ate dinner, and relaxed with family and friends. But late that afternoon, calamity struck when a violent thunderstorm brought heavy rain and hail to the mountains and bare hills south of town. When the fierce downpour reached Heppner, people gathered their children and hurried inside. Most everyone closed their doors and windows against the racket.The thunder and pounding hail masked the sound of something they likely could not have a roaring, two-story wall of water raging toward town. Within an hour, one of every five people in the prosperous town of 1,300 would lose their lives as the floodwaters pulled apart and carried away nearly everything in their path. The center of town was devastated. Enormous drifts of debris, tangled around bodies, snaked down the valley. The telegraph was down, the railroads were out, and the mayor was in Portland.Stunned survivors bent immediately to the dreadful tasks of searching for loved ones and carrying bodies to a makeshift morgue in the bank. By the next afternoon, thousands of individuals and communities had rushed to the town's aid, an outpouring of generosity that enabled the self-reliant citizens of Heppner to undertake the town's recovery.In Calamity, Joann Green Byrd, a native of eastern Oregon, carefully documents this poignant story, illustrating that even the smallest acts have consequences - good or bad. She draws on a wealth of primary sources, including a moving collection of photographs, to paint a rare picture of how a small town in the West coped with disaster at the turn of the twentieth century.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Joann Green Byrd is a retired journalist who has worked for a number of newspapers, including the East Oregonian in Pendleton, Oregon, and the Washington Post."

Reviews

[Stephanie Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

CALAMITY; The Heppner Flood of 1903, is written by Joann Green Byrd. A long-time journalist, Byrd did much research into a catastrophe that most survivors didn’t talk about.
Ms. Byrd delves into the lives of the victims, and she explains the hows and whys of the natural disaster itself. There is an almost minute-by-minute account of the path the flood took, stories of the resilience of the survivors, and lots of photos.
Not only is this book a good warning for us to consider the future effects of our actions today, but it is also helpful for genealogists with roots in Heppner, Oregon.

[Nathan Loveland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Keep reading. Keep learning history. This is a great book, anyone interested in PNW history and/or weather events and natural disasters should have it in their collection. A humbling reminder of the power of nature and its processes, relevant as ever after the tragic events in Oso this year. May discourse and reflection on both the Heppner flood and the more recent landslide in Oso remind us to be vigilante of the immense power of mother nature and help us plan to avoid and prepare to respond to future disasters.

[Christiane · Rating 2 out of 5]

American history is full of disastrous floods. This one took place in a small town in northeastern Oregon. A violent thunder and hailstorm made it impossible to see or hear the flash flood until it was upon the town. One of the fascinating aspects of this story is how quickly the incredibly self-reliant Heppner got back on its feet, even returning aid money that folks determined they didn't need!

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was almost a textbook historical telling, but with many details diligently sought out by the author, about a devastating flood that totally without surprise took several hundred people in Eastern Oregon. Even though it was like a textbook, I liked how much work she did to get all the details and as many human stories as old accounts could tell. It wasn't compelling as a novel, but still very interesting.

[Lorena · Rating 3 out of 5]

The historical account of a flash flood decimating a rural community, this book is a careful chronology of the events and the author is careful to detail every name or figure of the time. This style makes for a more laborious reading, but through the minute-by-minute narrative a picture develops of a resilient, independent community and the kind, generous neighbors across the Pacific Northwest and greater nation. It is worth the read, even if you need to skim from time to time.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually give this book 3 1/2 stars. I enjoyed reading the story of the flood and how it happened, and about life in Eastern Oregon at the turn of the century. I think Ms. Byrd could have made the story more compelling but her research seemed sound.

[Joel · Rating 3 out of 5]

She's pulled together a very detailed history - I just read about the flood and skimmed the rest

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't think the 1903 flood of Heppner, Oregon is on most people's radar. But the author was raised in eastern Oregon and discovered that the children and grandchildren of flood victims hadn't much information about it either. This led to her interest and research on the subject. 245 people died when a severe rainstorm created a flash flood that roared down the small creek upon which Heppner was situated. Much of the town was destroyed as well as the railroad tracks & telegraph offices which were the key element of Heppner's connection to the rest of Oregon. Death and destruction lay everywhere.

It was inspiring to read of the community efforts to pull together afterward and how other small towns nearby such as Sumpter and Baker City sent relief workers to help. As soon as word reached Portland and the rest of the west coast, more volunteers and money poured in. In the end, the residents of Heppner actually returned much of the funds sent to them! If you enjoy books with resilient characters that embody the pioneer spirit, this should be in your personal library.

[MARK FUNK · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is nothing I enjoy more than a good book about local history. Who knew about the 1903 Heppner flood? The people of Heppner, perhaps. But certainly not me. Joann Byrd's book captures a tragic moment in the history of a small town and then expands upon it, telling us how seemingly inconsequential decisions - a placement of a building or the planting of crops - can lead to disaster. More books like this!

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was an interesting book. I am a Native Oregonian and had never heard of the flood until I found out that I had ancestors that had lost their lives from contaminated wells due to the flood.
It's a quick read. A sad story that hopefully with history not repeating itself .

[Megan Andvik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I appreciate all of the details that went into this book. The author not only did their best to describe the events leading up to, during, and after the flood, but also gave personal accounts and brief histories of many of the people affected by the flood.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly researched and deeply detailed, this completely absorbed me. But I imagine it would only appeal to other news nerds like me.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating analysis of a catastrophic event.