Johnstown Flood Memorial
by Carolyn Derstine
Title
Johnstown Flood Memorial
Artist
Carolyn Derstine
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
The Johnstown Flood occurred on May 31, 1889, after the catastrophic failure of the South Fork Dam on the Little Conemaugh River 14 miles upstream of the town of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The earthen dam broke after several days of extremely heavy rainfall and unleashed a torrent of 20,000,000 tons of water that raced downstream, destroying several towns along the way and eventually reaching Johnstown, PA. The flood killed approximately 2,200 people, including 99 complete families. It was the worst disaster event in U.S. history at the time, and relief efforts were among the first major actions of Clara Barton and the newly organized American Red Cross which she led. The Johnstown Flood National Memorial, located near South Fork, commemorates the people killed in this tragedy and preserves the remains of the dam and portions of the former Lake Conemaugh bed, along with the farm of Elias Unger. This is a view of the Elias Unger house from the Visitors Center and overlooks the area which contained the lake bed of the former Lake Conemaugh.
Uploaded
January 3rd, 2019
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