Ames Daily Tribune - May 23 1954
AMES GETS 1.84 INCHES RAIN, DAMAGE
Thunderstorms Thursday night deposited the most rain Ames has had in any 24-hour period in nearly a year and did some electrical damage... Chief damage here was done to power connections at and near the sewage disposal plant. The plant was operating on a somewhat limited basis today under auxiliary Diesel power after lightning knocked out the switch of the main transformer. Insulators and contacts were melted, an electric department official said today.
Debris piled up beneath the Squaw [Ioway] Creek bridge on S. Riverside Drive and slowed down the runoff of the water. City equipment was put to work to clear some of it away.
Ames Daily Tribune - June 1 1954
PROMISE OF MORE RAIN POSES WATER THREAT IN STORY COUNTY
Flood conditions which existed in Ames and other parts of Story county today were not as serious as the threat of more rainfall which is supposedly heading this way and which could result in more damaging floods. Rainfall Monday was 1.06 inches at the Ames weather station south of town, and the total since May 23 was 2.5 inches....
Reportedly Gilbert had 3 inches Monday, and the Ames flooding was attributed to heavy rainfall north of here. Squaw [Ioway] Creek flooded over South Riverside drive south of the bridge this morning at about 5 o'clock, and the road was closed to traffic at 5:30....
Squaw [Ioway] Creek overflowed into Brookside park early today and left large pools throughout much of the recreational area...
There was some flooding of the lowlands from the Skunk River, but the damage was not believed serious. At the disposal plant water was coming into the plant from the outfall to the river because the water was so high. The outfall had to be temporarily closed off...
The 3-inch rainfall at Gilbert touched off a chain of somewhat unusual circumstances. An unnamed creek which runs through the east part of town - midway between the school and Main Street - suddenly overflowed its banks and made the main farm-to-market road into Gilbert impassable between 8:30 and 10 p.m. Monday... To add to the excitement the town's fire whistle started to blow because of a short and continued to blow for five minutes until it could be disconnected. At least 25 of the town's volunteer firemen turned out in the torrential rains to find out where the fire was and were told there was no fire...
Ames Daily Tribune - June 2
A 30-foot section of a limestone retaining wall on the grounds of Memorial Union gave way Monday night under pressure of new fill dirt and heavy rains. The wall had just recently been completed by workmen, and several loads of new black dirt hauled in. The new fill already seeded with grass had not had time to settle before the heavy rains.
Ames Daily Tribune - June 3
MORE RAIN FORECAST FOR IOWA SATURDAY
Iowa will get a brief letup from a week of thundershowers and murky skies Friday, but more rain will fall on the state Saturday night, the Des Moines Weather Bureau predicted today... The Raccoon River at Jefferson, about 50 miles directly northwest of Des Moines, was at flood stage of 10 feet early today... The Iowa River near Belle Plaine in east-central Iowa should crest at 14.5 feet tonight or 1.5 feet above flood stage...
Ames Daily Tribune - June 4
DAMAGE TO COUNTY ROADS IS $30,000
An estimated $30,000 worth of damage was done to Story county secondary roads, culverts and bridge approaches during the heavy rainstorm and flooding of Squaw [Ioway] and Keigley Creeks Monday... Most of the damage was concentrated in Franklin and Lafayette townships where downpours were most violent... No bridges were washed out, but approaches to at least six were damaged... Between eight and 12 culverts were washed out in the northwest part of the county and will have to be replaced.
Ames Daily Tribune - June 10
JEWELL HAS 5.81 INCHES; BIBLE CAMP EVACUATED
Heavy rains fell over a large area to the north and east of Ames Wednesday night and early today, flooding homes and farmland and developing a flood threat from a swollen Skunk river that was reaching its crest in Story City at noon today.
Heaviest rainfall recorded was at Jewell where 5.81 inches fell, flooding large areas of the town. Water flowed over U.S. 69 in eight places between Jewell and Belmond, 30 miles north. Fallen trees and water blocked the junction of U.S. 69 and U.S. 20 near Blairsburg.
The Riverside Bible Camp 2 miles north of Story City on the Skunk was evacuated this morning when the river began rising rapidly. By 10 a.m. today the entire camp area was flooded to window height on the chapel and cabins. About 200 young people were evacuated from the camp at Riverside. It is owned by Story City Lutheran churches and contains a number of cabins, a chapel, swimming pool, mess hall, book store and other buildings.
Story City reported only 2.1 inches of rain during the night along with wind and a severe electrical storm. No damage was reported in the area. In Story City, water was rising fast this morning. The swift rise began about 9 a.m. and by 10:30 water had inundated most of both parks. The football field was covered with water that had risen beyond the bleachers. Later today the river was reported spreading out rapidly. Water was reported over the pavement near the city near a place called South Bridge by the old light plant. All roads between Story City and Randall were reported closed. There was no mail service this morning in Story City and mail was picked up in Ames.
The chicago and Northwestern Railroad office reported at noon today that everything north was at a standstill. The office reported two bridges out - one between Eagle Grove and Randall and the other near Webster City.
Ames Daily Tribune - June 11
SKUNK RIVER FLOOD CREST PASSES AMES AT 10 A.M.
The crest of the Skunk river flood was passing Ames around 10 a.m. today with the gauge reading at 11.8 feet at the highest point, flooding a large area of the river bottom... At one point near Story City this morning a herd of 21 cattle and 4 calves were still stranded. The cattle belong to Melbourne Henderson who lives a mile east and a mile north of Story City.
Ames Daily Tribune - June 12
21 COWS, 4 CALVES RESCUED
The 21 cows and four calves stranded on an island about 1½ miles northeast of Story City by the Skunk river flooding were brought to safety Friday by their owner Melbourne Henderson with some assistance from his neighbors. The cattle had been on the island since the flood hit Story City and earlier attempts to get to safety had failed. Henderson went out to the cattle in a boat the first day of the flood but they were frightened and went into deeper water whenever the boat approached. One of the Henderson cows got into the main stream, floated downstream and lodged against a tree. She was unable to go either way.
Wallace Wicks, who lives on the Skunk just out of Story City, said Friday he was bringing home 15 head of cattle so they could drink fresh water. They had been stranded by the flood waters and Wicks was unable to do anything about it on Thursday because water was over the road south of his house.
Art Hovick also had cattle stranded Thursday. The 14 head were standing in water about 2 feed deep. Hovick cut a wire fence. The cattle went the wrong way, got caught in the main stream and swam under the bridge to the other side. They managed to get to high ground on the other side.
On E. Lincoln Way, the Skunk waters backed up to the ends of streets running south. Behind the Ames Cycle company at 720 East Lincoln Way water backed up over a road going south. Two houses were surrounded by water but only one is occupied. The family stayed in the house during the flood period.
Clarence Thompson of Story City (left) indicates the level of water which flooded the cook's cabin at Riverside Bible Camp near Story City Thursday. Other men shown at the clean-up operation, left to right, are: Sanford Ness, Story City; Orville Olson, Story City; Jacob Torvestad, Story City; Imbert Millang, Randall.
Ames Daily Tribune - June 15
RIVERSIDE BIBLE CAMP IS USED AGAIN AFTER CLEAN UP
Riverside Bible Camp near Story City is back in use today after water from a rain-swollen Skunk river flooded it Thursday and forced evacuation of 43 teachers and students. A new group of young people moved into the area Sunday. About 50 persons, mainly members of the Lutheran churches which own and operate the camp, turned out Friday and Saturday to scrub and clean seven girls' cabins, the cook's cabin, the chapel and dining hall.
All those buildings were flooded, some as high as to window level, when a six-inch rain Wednesday night to the north sent the Skunk on a rampage. The damage discernible to date is only 12 mattresses ruined but other furnishing may be soaked so badly they may be lost. The flood water deposited several inches of mud on the area and in the flooded buildings. The boys cabins were not flooded... The swinging foot bridge in the new city park was damaged slightly.
Tribune negatives for these photos did not survive, so these microfilm printouts must suffice.