By L. L. Work

On Sunday morning, May 27, 1894, a flood roared out of the North Fork of Salmon Creek to virtually demolish the prosperous mining center and Okanogan County seat of Conconully. Some 42 buildings were destroyed, one life was lost, and property damages were estimated at nearly $100,000.

Following the warm weather of the last few days, a terrific rain and electric storm came on toward midnight. It must have rained hard, but the thunder and lighting were the worst I ever saw in any country. Flash after flash of vivid lighting was followed by an almost incessant roar of thunder. In this locality thunder is seldom heard and then usually as a mere rumbling in the distance. But in this case it was earsplitting, continuos and long drawn out, I would not venture to say at this distance how long the storm lasted. Sleep was scarcely possible for me during the remainder of the night and I had a feeling of apprehension that something was going to happen.

At daylight we found the creek over its banks and running through the town by several channels which were usually dry. After awhile the water began to subside and it was remarkable how fast it fell. It was not raining at Conconully, but off to the northwest the sky was intensely black and the distant murmur of thunder could be plainly heard.

The early morning rise brought down considerable drift wood which made a number of jams, damming up the water in places and doing some damage to property in the northern part of town. Giant powder was brought into requisition and the loud reports of blasts mingled with the distant detonations of thunder echoing from the mountains back of Mineral Hill.

At that moment a cry came from up the street. "Run for the hills everybody, the water is coming down thirty feet high!" We dropped everything and I ran across the bridge in the direction of my residence a block away. When I got to the hotel I looked up the street and while not much water was visible there was evidence by the mass of drift wood which they were bearing but their force was plainly manifested. The drift struck a lot of cottonwood trees in the upper part of town and these went down before it like grass before a sickle. I saw that folks had been warned and were already up the side of Court House Hill some rods beyond.

By this time the drift had reached the upper part of town and was playing havoc with buildings. A number of small houses at the upper end of town now were lifted up by the flood and carried along a short distance before they collapsed and went down, the roofs spreading out flat on the surface.

The water covered the valley from bank to bank a distance of about 60 rods. Along the hill slopes on either side were groups of town folks and the torrent between was filled with floating logs, branches, roofs, scattered house timbers and every imaginable debris. To see such a number of buildings so suddenly endowed with motion, toppling, drifting, collapsing, sinking down to the surface level and floating away as mere wreckage caused a very peculiar sensation. No other site that I ever witnessed could compare with it.

There was but one life lost. The flood occurred at a quarter of nine. Had not everyone been on the lookout on account of the high water of the early morning, the loss of human life would have been much greater.

The effect of the flood on the Conconully townsite was very damaging to its picturesque appearance. Many visitors of the former years have praised the great beauty of our townsite. As time goes on the ravages of the flood will be gradually effaced until it will finally be restored to its natural beauty.