Vigo County Historical Society

1913 floodwaters left thousands homeless in western Vigo County

Just one day after the disastrous tornado of March 23, 1913, water started reaching flood stage in West Terre Haute. Water that had been rising at 2 inches per hour began rising at a rate of 4 inches an hour.

Early Wednesday, more than 3,000 people had been made homeless, about half of the population of the city. The Vigo Clay and the American Clay suspended operations, throwing more than 200 men out of work. At noon, every mine closed with 5,000 sent home.

The water at Taylorville had risen to the boiler rooms of the Valentine Packing House, so a large number of hogs were moved to the top floor of the building.

Water approached Union Hospital within two squares, as a large levee north of the city broke.

At Ferguson Hill, Prosecutor Werneke and Capt. Stahl estimated 1,000 people on the hill were cut off from all supplies. The interurban car tracks west of West Terre Haute were washed away for a great distance.

At Toad Hop, Sugar Creek went on a rampage as people moved to safety in wagons or boats. Water was in more than half the houses of West Terre Haute by noon and people were escaping from their homes so fast that in one house a floating table held a burning candle.

By early afternoon, rising waters hid the nails that marked the reach of the water during the flood of 1875. At about 8 p.m., the huge railroad bridge gave way, being buried under the rising water.

By Friday, the water stabilized and the first mail delivery to Clinton since the preceding week was made.

The rushing water had moved several homes off their foundations and floated them a block or so away.

One man with a fleet of 10 rowboats was ordered to release his boats to officials so that stranded people on rooftops, etc. might be rescued. The man pleaded not have all his boats taken, as they were his livelihood. He never say any of his boats again.

March 1913 was a time of compounded misery, with both a tornado and flood happening in two days’ time.

Pictures of some of the different disasters in Vigo County in the past 100 years may be viewed in the museum.