Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert Pence
Thanks, Aaron. Johnstown has had many floods because of its location at the confluence of valleys that funnel heavy rains into flash flooding. The legendary flood occurred in 1889 when a dam on a large private lake upstream failed and sent a huge wall of water roaring down on the town. The downtown mostly was obliterated, and many lives were lost. My grandmother told of being sent alone to Johnstown as a 14-year-old girl on the train to help an aunt reestablish her household after the flood. I suggest reading David McCullough's The Johnstown Flood before you go, so that you'll get a fuller comprehension of what happened suddenly on a Spring day.
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Thanks for all of the information, Robert. Yeah, almost as soon as I posted my comment above, I did a google check of Johnstown, noticing that the great flood was far earlier than I posted. Ah well, I knew it was a long time ago!
Seriously though, I'll definitely read McCullough's book before I head out there.
Aaron (Glowrock)