1964 — June 8, rain/Swift & Two Medicine dams fail/flooding, esp. Blackfeet Res., NW MT –34-35

-34-35 Blanchard on rationale for 34-35 fatalities. The sources we cite below range from a low of 30 to a high of 58. Most estimates fall between 32 and 38. In that only one source notes 58 deaths, which is 20 deaths more than the next highest reported death toll, we ignore this report. In an effort to try to determine an exact death toll or at least narrow the range of 32-38, we created a listing of reported deaths, which follows the Narrative section below and precedes the Sources section. This list includes 35 names and other information. Most are at least double sourced. Two are possible double counting inclusions – the two Guardipee boys, both aged three but with different names. Perhaps the reports are accurate and they were related. Or, perhaps there were reporting errors. If this is the case then the death toll would be 34 according to our listing of named fatalities.

— 58 Great Falls Tribune, MT. “10 big Great Falls news stories.” 6-23-2010. “Official” toll.
— 38 AP. “Bodies of Two More State Flood Victims…” Independent Record, Helena MT. 6-25-1964, 4.
–18 bodies recovered
–20 missing and presumed drowned.
— 38 AP. “Search Party Finds 15th Flood Victim.” Independent Record, Helena, MT, 6-22-1964, 2.
–15 bodies recovered
–23 missing (13 missing from Birch Creek area alone)
— 38 AP. “State Flood Victims Busy With Cleanup Chores.” Billings Gazette, MT. 6-21-1964 5.
–14 bodies recovered
–24 missing
— 37 Independent Record, Helena, MT. “Johnson Authorizes Payments…” 6-18-1964, p. 1.
–12 recovered bodies
–21 missing and presumed dead
— 5 missing
— 36 Weather Bureau. Storm Data, V6, N6, June 1964. Asheville, NC: Dept. of Commerce, p63.
— 35 Blanchard tally from fatality listing below (includes two Guardipee boys, both aged three).
— 34 AP. “Body of 4-Year-Old Flood Victim Found.” Montana Standard, Butte. 7-4-1964, p. 10.
–22 bodies recovered
–12 missing and presumed dead
— 34 Assoc. Press. “Body of Rancher Found in Debris.” Billings Gazette, MT. 6-30-1964, p. 12.
–21 bodies recovered
–13 missing and presumed dead
— 34 Associated Press. “20th Flood Victim Found.” The Billings Gazette, MT. 6-28-1964, p. 4.
–20 bodies recovered
–14 missing
— 34 AP. “Searchers find 19th body in State flood disaster.” Independent Record, Helena, MT. 6-26-1964, 7.
–19 bodies recovered
–15 missing
— 34 Weather Bureau. Climatological Data. Montana. June 1964. Vol. 67, No. 6, 1964, p. 116.
— 33 AP. “Casual attitude of Blackfeet…contributed to death toll…” Independent Record, Helena. 11-12-1964, 13.
— 33 AP. “Last Body of Family of Six Drowned In Floods…found.” Independent Record, 7-16-1964, 3.
–26 known dead
— 7 missing
— 33 AP. “Two Flood Victims Found.” The Independent Record, Helena, MT. 7-6-1964, p. 12.
–24 bodies recovered
— 9 missing and presumed dead
— 33 Assoc. Press. “Body of Flood Victim Found.” Montana Standard, Butte. 6-20-1964, p. 12.
–14 bodies recovered
–19 missing
— 32 Known or presumed dead. Independent Record, Helena, MT. “Birch Creek…” 6-12-1964, 10.
— 32 Independent Record, Helena, MT. “Search for Flood Victims Halted.” 7-22-1964, p. 7.
–26 bodies recovered
— 6 missing (Theakson, Overlack, New Breast/3, New Breast/35, England, Westfield.)
— 32 Assoc. Press. “Tim [Gov. Babcock] Rejects Resignation.” Billings Gazette, 7-7-1964, p10.
–23 bodies recovered
— 9 missing and presumed dead
— 32 UPI. “Another Flood Victim’s Body Is Found.” Kalispell Inter Lake, MT. 6-19-1964, p. 2.
–13 bodies recovered
–19 missing and presumed dead
— 32 UPI. “Flood Death Toll is Set at 32.” Billings Gazette, MT. 6-16-1964, p. 6.
–12 known dead (according to American Red Cross disaster headquarters statement).
–20 missing and presumed dead (according to ARC disaster headquarters statement).
— 31 Great Falls Tribune, MT “1964 flood: Worst flood in Montana’s history…” 5-24-2014.
— 31 National Climatic Center, NOAA. Climatological Data National Summary. 1976, 122.
— 30 Daily Record, Stroudsburg, PA. “Montana Floods Kill 30 Persons.” 6-10-1964, p. 1.
–>30 Montana Standard. “Montana Counts Dead, Searches for Missing.” 6-11-1964, p. 1.
— 30 Montana Standard, Butte-Anaconda. “Roaring Rivers Kill 30.” 6-10-1964, p. 1.
— 30 USGS. National Water Summary 1988-89—Hydrologic Events… 1991, p. 371.
— 9 Daily Review, Hayward, CA. “Dams Collapse. Flood Disaster Hits Montana.” 6-9-1964, 1

— 30 Blackfeet Reservation. Great Falls Tribune. “10 big Great Falls news stories.” 6-23-2010.
— 30 “ MT OEM. 2010 Update…State of [MT]Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan… 2010, 4-9.
— 9 Lower Two Medicine dam failure. Great Falls Tribune. “10 big Great Falls…” 6-23-2010
— 19 Marias River and Birch Creek dam failures. Great Falls Tribune. “10 big…” 6-23-2010.

Narrative Information

MT OEM: “1964. Failure of Swift Reservoir on Birch Creek and Two Medicine Dam on Two Medicine Creek resulted in the loss of 30 lives on the Blackfeet Reservation.” (Montana Office of Emergency Services. 2010 Update to the State of Montana Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan and Statewide Hazard Assessment.” Nov 2010, p. 4-9.)

Weather Bureau. Storm Data: “Western Montana…6-7 [June]…36 [killed]…Heavy Rain.

“Heavy rain fell over all of Montana during the two day period. Rain was especially heavy from northern Lewis and Clark County to the Canadian border along the Continental Divide. Fourteen inches or more rain fell in the centers of this storm during the period. Major flooding occurred on the Sun, Teton, Marias, Dearborn, and Flathead drainages. Flooding also occurred on the Jefferson River East of the Divide, and the Bitterroot and Clark’s Fork west. For further details see the June issue of Montana Climatological Data.” (Weather Bureau. Storm Data, V6, N6, June 1964, p. 63.)

Newspapers

Great Falls Tribune, MT, 2010 retrospective: “1964 FLOODING

“Second week of June, 1964 — Flooding ravaged the region, including West Great Falls.

“Great Falls is a city with two rivers running through it. The Sun and Missouri Rivers are dramatic waterways, but the city’s proximity to water led to flooding over the years. The worst years during the 20th century for Great Falls were 1908, 1953, 1964 and 1975. But 1964 was particularly devastating.

“On Sunday, June 7, 1964, a steady rain began to fall in Great Falls. Up in the mountains, snowpack was deeper than average, and the Missouri and Sun rivers were running high. Some of Glacier Park’s streams had already left their banks.

“Rain continued into Monday [June 8], and disaster loomed. Heavy rain fell in Dupuyer, Augusta and Glacier Park, 8 to 11 inches in each location. Then, officials abruptly announced Swift Dam on Birch Creek had failed, and a 20-foot wall of water was roaring down the valley. Communications were disrupted, and water flowed over the top of other dams in the region. Flooding devastated the region, including West Great Falls, which was at the mercy of the Sun River floodwaters. Water surrounded the Country Club Towers, and much of West Great Falls became submerged by cold, mucky water. Bridges and railroad beds were washed out, and highways were closed. Communities from Browning to Choteau to Augusta along the Rocky Mountain Front suffered devastation along with Great Falls, Valier, the Sun River Valley, the Glacier Park and Fort Benton areas and other communities.

“Surprisingly, no one died in Great Falls as areas were evacuated in time, but the surrounding area suffered many tragedies. The official death toll was 58 people, including 30 people on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. Dam failures on the Marias River and along Birch Creek created a wall of water that killed 19 people, and failure of a dam on the Lower Two Medicine took the lives of nine area residents.

“In Great Falls, despite the ruination of much of West Great Falls by the Sun, it would take another flood in 1975 to convince West Side residents of the need for a flood-control dike. Built in the 1980s, the dike has protected residents since.

“Quote from Tribune: “Entire towns were evacuated as water three to six feet deep coursed down streets into homes and businesses. Numerous bridges were washed out, roads were flooded and families were isolated. Three of the dead — two children and a woman — were in the path of a mighty wall of water that swept down Birch Creek after an earthen and brick dam broke at Swift Reservoir.” June 9, 1964.” (Great Falls Tribune, MT. “10 big Great Falls news stories.” 6-23-2010.)
June 8 (from November Federal report on the disaster): “….The first major tragedy was on Two Medicine Creek where a pickup truck had missed a trail leading across a meadow to a hillside and had become mired in a hole. Only about a foot of the cab still was above water when Almer Morigeau, Blackfeet Agency road superintendent, spotted the truck and its load of people. Morigeau radioed Agency Supt. William W. Grissom for a boat. Grissom located Kay Hoyt, a Browning service station operator with a boat, and got him started toward the Two Medicine crossing.

“The government report gives this account of the rescue attempt:

The flood that covered the meadow was sweeping fallen trees and other debris downstream. Torrents still were pouring from the skies. Swift currents – estimated at 25 knots or more – had formed both in front and behind the pickup. The currents made it impossible for the strongest swimmer to reach the truck from shore.

Upstream a short distance was a high point of land, as yet barely under water, which could be reached by wading. From that point Roy Buffalo, agency employment assistance officer, and two other young men were attempting to effect a rescue. Soon they were joined by Bernie Yednock and Clarence Gilham of the forestry branch…

Buffalo and the others ripped a section of barbed wire from a nearby fence. They tied the wire and what rope they could locate to a spare truck tire. They hurled the tire into the current, so that it would be carried downstream to the pickup. Their hope was that the pickup occupants, one at a time, could grab the tire and be pulled to safety. There was difficulty in getting the tire to the pickup because of the action of the current. Several tries failed. Each time the tire had to be pulled back upstream. Buffalo and others on the high point had bloody cuts from the barbed wire before their part in the ordeal was over.

There also was difficulty in making the people in the truck understand what they were to do. At one point, three people grabbed the tire at one time. Their weight was too much, and they clambered back into the truck. One girl, 14, was pulled almost halfway to the high point but lost her grip. She was swept away and drowned. Eventually two people – an elderly man and a woman – were pulled to safety on the tire.

The water became deeper and more turbulent. The men on the high point struggled to keep their own footing. While they were working, the body of a young boy was brought upstream by the tricky, fast-changing currents. Apparently, he had dropped into the water from the truck. Buffalo pulled him from the water. Yednock carried him ashore and attempted artificial respiration, but it proved futile.

Hoyt arrived around 11:30 o’clock with his boat. It was launched, and with it four women and a child were rescued. The effort to save the people in the truck had lasted about two hours.

There had been 17 persons in the pickup when it started across the meadow. The driver apparently had left the vehicle when it first became stalled, perhaps to go in search of help. The persons, Richard Grant and Violet Cobell, had been pulled to safety with the spare tire. Five other, Fay Grant, Lucille Guardipee, Nellie Buel, Cora Buel and a child had been rescued by boat.

Nine persons had died. Rose Grant, 84, mother of several of the women, drowned in the cab of the pickup. The other victims, the youngest a baby only two months old and the oldest only 14, had been swept away. The children who died were Elaine Guardipee, 4; Keith Guardipee, 3; Alvin Guardipee, 3; Terry Lee Guardipee, 2 months; Robbie Grant Jr., 5, and Rolanda Rose Grant, 3; Galela Lynn Cobell, 14; and Lorraine Long Time Sleeping, 5….Lorraine Long Time Sleeping was a foster child in the Grant home. Her body was not found until June 25. There were no other casualties during the flood on Two Medicine Creek.

“The report also tells of the second major tragedy of last June 8. This was on Birch Creek which twists northeasterly from the mountains and is the southern boundary of the reservation. Swift Dam, a 50-year-old, rock-filled structure, was located at the head of the creek – at the southernmost tip of the reservation.

The Birch Creek casualties all died within minutes after Swift Dam broke…House-to-house warnings had not been possible. Agency personnel had not been able to reach that valley after the danger became apparent, because bridges to the north already had been washed out.

Birch Creek residents who perished included eight members of one family: Mrs. Tom Hall Jr., 33; Thomas Hall III, 12; Margerie Hall, 10, Martha Hall, 8; Kathy Hall, 6; Marlin Hall, 4; Edward Hall, 2; and Jody Hall, 1.

Other Birch Creek victims included Peggy Bradley, 8; Jerry Wayne Thomas, 3; Linda Arnoux, 16; Sam New Breast Jr., 35; Mrs. Sam New Breast; their daughter, Patricia New Breast; Ernest Lauffer, 58; Gilbert England, 43; Ralph Oberlack, 65; Joe Hamline, 52; Bean Theakson, 45.

Flood waters took two other lives on the reservation June 7-8. Up in the northwest corner, a truck driven by Ivan Williams, a State Highway Department worker, went into the St. Mary River and Williams died. Stanford Creighton of Cardston, Alta., was killed when his car plunged into Kennedy Creek north of Babb.

“The Blackfeet Tribal Council at a special meeting three days after the flood struck, set aside each future June 8 as a day or mourning….” (Assoc. Press. “Federal Report on State Flood Deals With Human Element Involved More Than Statistics.” Montana Standard, Butte. 11-12-1964, p. 14.)

June 9: “Great Falls, Mont. (UPI) – Montana’s streams, fed by heavy spring runoff and near torrential rains, swept over widespread areas today, leaving an undetermined number of persons dead, missing or homeless. Nine persons were known dead and 16 missing in the dam bursting rampage. Great Falls, the state’s largest city, was threatened with serious flooding.

“Three dams collapsed and a fourth, containing a city water supply, was reported in danger of crumbling. The broken dams were the Swift, northwest of Great Falls the Two Medicine and East Glacier, both near Glacier National Park. Eureka Dam on the Teton River near Clouteau, also northwest of Great Falls, was reported to have split during the night. However, officials reported daylight aerial observation showed the dam was intact. They believed that the flood crest spilled over the dam with such force and suddenness that it appeared to have collapsed.

“Meanwhile, authorities announced the crews of two trains had been located safe south of Glacier Park. The Great Northern Railway freight trains were stranded in the Essex area south of the park by washouts.

“The Sun River began flooding shortly after dawn near Great Falls, which has a population of 53,500. Authorities said ‘fairly heavy’ flooding was expected by 3 p.m. with the river cresting about noon Wednesday.

“Despite loudspeaker warnings by law enforcement officers during the night, many residents of flood threatened areas refused to evacuate until convinced that the danger was real.

“The main streets were sand-bagged but low areas along the river where several hundred homes were inundated in 1953 were unprotected because of official predictions that sandbagging would be useless. One state official described the flooding as the worst in Montana’s history. Property damage was expected to be in the millions.

“Water surged down from both sides of the Continental Divide, inundating some areas that had been suffering from drought since 1957. Residents in the area northwest of Great Falls along the Teton river also were told to evacuate….” (Daily Review, Hayward, CA. “Dams Collapse. Flood Disaster Hits Montana.” 6-9-1964, p. 1.)

June 9: “The Associated Press Tuesday afternoon [June 9] placed the death total in the floods at 30. It said most of the dead were being found in Glacier County where flash floods hit ranches and small towns. A temporary morgue had been set up at a mission south of Browning….

“A 10 year old girl, Peggy Bradley, was found dead near Valier. Two motorists, Ivan Williams, 48, St. Mary, and Stanford Creighton, 35, Cardston, Alta., died. Williams drowned in a flooding creek and Creighton apparently died of exhaustion along a flooded road….” (United Press International. “At Least 30 Dead; Many Are Missing.” Billings Gazette, MT. 6-9-1964, p. 1.)

June 10: “Great Falls, Mont. (AP) – Floodwaters poured over lowlands at record levels Tuesday [9th]. At least 30 persons were dead, dozens were missing and hundreds were homeless. Much of the flood’s punch was yet to come, but estimates of the damage already ranged into the millions of dollars. Montana’s National Guard officers called it the worst natural disaster in state history.” (Daily Record, Stroudsburg, PA. “Montana Floods Kill 30 Persons.” 6-10-1964, p. 1.)

June 10: “Great Falls (AP) — Swirling floodwaters moved toward record levels at Great Falls Tuesday night after leaving at least 30 dead, dozens missing and hundreds homeless in upstream areas.

“After two. days of widespread flooding over Montana, President Johnson listed seven north-western counties as disaster areas: Cascade, Chouteau, Flathead, Glacier, Pondera, Teton and Toole.

“Great Falls was braced for the crest which would send water over a country club golf course and into homes in one of the most exclusive sections of the city. The business district is on higher ground and apparently was not endangered. Ironically, some residents declined to leave their homes in low-lying residential districts despite official warnings. The refusals were reported by a woman Civil Defense worker, Deffy Rawles. ‘It’s just terrible,’ she said. ‘I don’t know why they are that way. Maybe they think that if they wait long enough the water will go away.’….

“Fed by rampaging mountain streams, major rivers on both sides of the Continental Divide swept away concrete and steel highway bridges, coursed through communities and destroyed livestock and crops.

“Tributary streams pounded through four earthen dams Monday, sending walls of water cascading down on helpless residents. Chief troublemaker and record breaker was the Sun River, a mountain stream that joins the Missouri River at Great Falls. The Sun carried the massive run-off of late-melting snowpacks and five days of heavy rains measuring up to 6 inches. At Great Falls, a city of 70,000, a flood crest of 24 to 25 feet was expected by midnight.” (Montana Standard and The Butte Daily Post, Butte-Anaconda. “Roaring Rivers Kill 30.” 6-10-1964, p. 1.)

June 11: “Great Falls, Mont. (AP) — Helicopters, planes and power boats crisscrossed flood-devastated areas of Montana on Wednesday searching for dead and missing residents in the receding water.

“At least 30 were dead and 30 missing. Damage was in the millions of dollars. ‘There’s no question about how bad it is,’ Gov. Tim Babcock said as he toured the flood-stricken areas. ‘It’s the worst natural disaster ever to hit this state. The picture keeps getting worse.’

“Reports still were fragmentary from the hard-hit area of the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains. Scores of bridges were washed out on major highways, leaving a number of small communities and ranches isolated. Communications were limited.

“Air Force helicopters rescued more than 250 persons, reaching down with a hoist and sling to pluck many from trees and rooftops. An Air Force spokesman said his crew dropped a hoist in the nick of time to two Indian boys clinging to a tree. ‘The tree was just ready to fall into the water,’ the pilot said. He said a crowd standing on the shore of a mile-wide creek directed the helicopter to the boys.

“At least 18 bodies from the hardest-hit areas of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation will be airlifted to Malmstrom Air Force Base at Great Falls. ‘They have no place to store bodies on the reservation,’ an Air Force spokesman said. Power boats scooted back and forth across the reservation, seeking dead and missing.

“In Great Falls, the state’s largest city with 70,000 residents, the flooding Sun River receded gradually as it poured into the Missouri River. It reached a crest of nearly 25 feet early Wednesday, more than five feet higher than any previous crest on record. The flooding created n huge lagoon nearly 10 miles wide over western residential sections and water reached to the eaves of some of the city’s finest houses, many in the $100,000 class.

“As the destructive flood waters spread downstream, they headed toward the vast uninhabited stretch of country leading to the Ft. Peck Reservoir one of the largest manmade lakes in the world. The huge Ft. Peck Dam, together with upstream flood control and power dams, was expected to lessen chances for continued flooding….” (Montana Standard and The Butte Daily Post, Butte-Anaconda. “Montana Counts Dead, Searches for Missing.” 6-11-1964, 1.)

June 11: Browning, Mont. (UPI) – ‘The water kept getting higher and one-by-one my daughter-in-law’s four children were swept away and then two of my sister-in-law’s.’ Mrs. Nellie Buel, 50, of Two Medicine, thus described the ordeal which apparently claimed the lives of eight members of her family — including seven children — during Montana’s devastating floods. ‘When the pickup truck stalled in that rushing water I knew we didn’t have a chance,’ she said.

“Sixteen people were crowded into the truck when it started from a farm east of Two Medicine Bridge Monday through raging waters toward higher ground. The truck was driven by her husband, Edward Buel, 55, and carried six adults and 10 children — residents of a cluster of three homes east of the bridge on Highway 289. Buel took three of his grandchildren to higher ground, one at a time, after the truck stalled. But he was too weak to swim back to the truck for more. ‘I hollered, Please somebody, at least get my mother out,’ but nobody could hear over the rush of the water,’ Mrs. Buel related. The body of her mother, Rosie Grant, 84, was found in the truck’s cab.

“Mrs. Buel was standing in the back of the truck with four other women — her sister, Cora Buel; her sisters-in-law, Fay and Violet Buel; and her nephew’s wife, Lucille Guardipee.

“Loraine Longtime Sleeping, Violet’s 13-year-old foster daughter, was swept down-stream and lost when she let go of a rope stretched between the truck and higher ground.

“‘Look! The water’s coming in! Poor mom’s gone!’ Mrs. Buel cried from the back of the truck. Her mother was the only one remaining in the cab, which was slowly filling with water. ‘I’m all in, I’m giving up now,’ Mrs. Buel told her sister. ‘One by one Lucille’s children floated away. The baby first, two-months-old, who had been clinging to Lucille’s neck, and then the others. ‘Then Fay’s little five-year-old floated away. ‘Mom must have locked both doors. She probably thought the water wouldn’t get into the cab’.” (Montana Standard and The Butte Daily Post, Butte-Anaconda. “Eight Members In Family Die.” 6-11-1964, 1.)

June 12: “Conrad – (AP) – ‘The massive devastation in northwestern Montana’s Birch Creek Valley can only be described as overwhelming,’ said Coroner Patrick F. Wyse of the area where 19 people presumably perished. He was trying to put into words destruction that occurred when 50-year-old Swift Dam disintegrated at the head of the valley, spewing a 20-foot wall of water on residents below the dam. ‘There are piles of rubble 20 feet deep and 70 to 80 feet across. The piles are made up of parts of houses, trees, clothing, ice boxes and things like that,’ he said. ‘These smashed houses were below the dam and withing 10 miles of it,’ he said. ‘There are 40 cars completely mangled within 20 miles of the dam. Their tops are barely showing out of the mud and trash.’ ‘People just now are starting to realize what has happened,’ he said today, four days after the dam went out. ‘Survivors I have talked to say the wall of water made a tremendous noise,’ Wyse said. ‘One family heard the noise and ran to the top of a hill 50 feet away. Just as they reached it, they saw their house smashed by the water.’

“A report from the scene the next day quoted some people as saying they heard an airplane, then saw the wall of water. Apparently,, it was the rushing water which sounded like aircraft engines. ‘There was so very little warning that it is amazing how so many people got out,’ Wyse said. ‘The rubble is fantastic,’ he went on. ‘The whole Birch Creek Valley was swept clean of timber.’ ‘This is what we are up against in the recovery of bodies,’ the Pondera County coroner said. ‘More than 300 men were out the day before yesterday and they didn’t find a body.’ ‘Right now, our hopes for recovering more bodies are pretty futile but I think they should start turning up in a week or two weeks,’ Wyse said. He estimated the creek bed area to be searched as being about 40 miles long and five to 15 miles wide.

“Recalling the tragic night, Wyse said, ‘They had a turbojet helicopter flying out of Valier, 38 miles below the dam, four to five hours after the dam burst. They picked up five people on Two Medicine Creek that night and the next morning took 40 people out of the Badger Creek area.’ ‘It was too late to do anything then for the Birch Creek people as the crest had passed and nothing could be done,’ he said. ‘The next morning, there were 100 refugees at the Grandview School on the Blackfeet Reservation two to three miles north of the dam.’

“He praised the efforts of the volunteer rescuers and said the Army National Guard was of tremendous help. Wyse guessed that none of the volunteers got more than three hours sleep in the first 36 hours after the flood.

“As of Friday, only two bodies had been found in the Birch Creek area but Wyse said investigations convince him 17 others were killed in the area.

“In all, Montana is counting 32 know or presumed dead from the flood.” (AP. “Birch Creek Valley Scene of Massive Devastation.” Independent Record, Helena, MT. 6-12-1964, p. 10.)

June 13: “Great Falls (UPI) – The government can help repair roads and streets, rebuild bridges, dams and other public facilities wrecked by Montana’s disastrous floods. It can help the businessman farmer and rancher get back on his feet. But who is going to help the people – the ordinary families who lost homes, furnishings, clothing and automobiles? That was the most asked, the least answered, question Friday at a hearing in Great Falls by the House Flood Control subcommittee. Attending and speaking were representatives of county governments and other groups in flood-battered areas.

“Representatives of state and federal agencies involved in flood relief and rehabilitation met later to explain to the public what could be done and what agencies would do. It was pointed out at the Congressional group’s hearing that farmers, ranchers, businesses and other commercial enterprises could get assistance from the Small Business Administration which is setting up an emergency office in Great Falls Monday.

“But what about the individual homeowner who lost everything. Louis Obstarczyk of Great Falls said. ‘What these people need is relief, not 3 per cent interest. We’re giving all this money to foreign aid. Why not use some of it here and now?’ Rep. Frank Clark, D-Pa., the subcommittee chairman, said the Red Cross might be able to provide some assistance.

“A man from Vaughn said a survey showed personal losses in the little community west of Great Falls totaled $899,000. ‘What are we going to do to get some help?’ he asked.

“Another subcommittee member, Rep. Don Clausen, R-Calif., spoke with some personal knowledge of the situation. His home district includes Crescent City, Calif., which was severely damaged by tidal waves from the Alaskan earthquake in March. ‘You should have no false illusions,’ Clausen told the flood victims. He warned that efforts to help the individual would be ‘somewhat disappointing.’ Clausen said he felt a need for some form of federal underwriting of insurance to handle losses due to natural disasters and said he and other congressmen are working on such legislation. ‘The cost of private flood insurance is almost prohibitive for the private homeowner,’ Claussen said….” (UPI. “Only Limited Governmental Assistance Available for Ordinary Flood Victims.” Montana Standard-Post, Butte. 6-13-1964, p. 12.)

June 14: “By Burl Osborne, Associated Press Writer

“A week ago, Thomas Hall had all many men would ask of life. He had his wife, his seven children and a rustic home in one of this nation’s most beautiful settings, in the mountain country of northwestern Montana. Today, Thomas Hall, a Blackfeet Indian, has nothing except a staggering load of grief he somehow contains silently….Hall’s wife and children are gone. The dude ranch he operated is gone….

“No one knows yet how many lived were lost in the great Montana flood – the state’s worst disaster and the worst Western flood in 30 years….

“Ten bodies have been identified. In addition 23 persons are missing and presumed dead and authorities still list 5 as missing. It would be a miracle if any of Hall’s family is alive. They are listed among those missing and presumed dead. When the earthen dam on Birch Creek collapsed without warning Monday the angry flood which resulted stormed down the canyon in a 20-foot wall of water….” [The Hall home was eight miles below.] (Assoc. Press/Burl Osborne. “Review of Flood Disaster Portrays Pitiful Picture.” The Independent Record, Helena, MT. 6-14-1964, p.1.)

June 16: “Great Falls (UPI) – The American Red Cross disaster headquarters in its first damage survey Monday [June 15] set the death toll in the Montana-Idaho floods at 42. Dan Bachman, director of the disaster relief effort for the Red Cross, said its report lists 12 known dead and 20 missing and presumed dead. It said 39 were hospitalized and 342 persons suffered injury or illness attributed to the flooding. Bachman said 2,191 families suffered some kind of loss. He said more than 1,000 of these families live in Flathead County and 500 in Cascade County. Bachman said 166 homes were completely destroyed, 355 suffered major damage (non-structural). The Red Cross director said nearly 170 farm buildings also were damaged. Bachman said the Red Cross gave mass care to a total of 8,530 disaster victims and workers.” (United Press International. “Flood Death Toll is Set at 32.” Billings Gazette, MT. 6-16-1964, p. 6.)

June 16: “Valier (AP) – The body of a 16-year-old girl missing for a week since flash flooding June 8 has been found, making 11 known dead in the disaster. Linda Arnoux of the Blackfeet Reservation had been among the 22 persons listed as missing and presumed dead. Her body was found in underbrush about 1½ miles from Birch Creek, west of Valier. Coroner Patrick E. Wyse said the girl evidently got away from the advancing wall of water but died the next morning of exposure. She was visiting the Thomas Hall Jr. ranch when the Swift Reservoir dam broke. Still missing and presumed dead are Mrs. Hall and seven children.” (Associated Press. “Flood Victim’s Body Is Found.” Billings Gazette, MT. 6-16-1964, p. 6.)

June 19: “Shelby (UPI) – The body of 12-year-old Tom Hall III was recovered Thursday [June 18] from the Birch Creek area, 15 miles downstream from where he was swept away by the flood waters of Birch Creek last week. The boy was son of Tom Hall Jr. who lost his wife and six children in the disaster. This was the first missing member of the family to be found. The recovery brings the toll to 13, with 19 others still missing, according to Red Cross figures. (UPI. “Another Flood Victim’s Body Is Found.” Kalispell Inter Lake, MT. 6-19-1964, p. 2.)

June 20: “Conrad (AP) – Authorities reported finding the body Friday [June 19] of the 14th known victim of last week’s flooding, Sam New Breast Jr., 35, of upper Birch Creek. His wife and child are among the 19 persons still missing but presumed dead.” (Associated Press. “Body of Flood Victim Found.” Montana Standard, Butte. 6-20-1964, p. 12.)

June 21: “Helena (AP)….When mountain streams and rivers subsided a week ago, officials counted a total of 38 dead or missing. So far, 14 bodies have been recovered. Most of the dead were residents of two rural areas below small dams that burst. Many were Blackfeet Indians….Other families were swept away and drowned when a dam in Glacier National Park burst under the pounding of Two Medicine Creek, a stream filled with the runoffs from melting snows and rains measuring up to 11 inches. No one knows why the dams burst. Both were several decades old….” (Associated Press. “State Flood Victims Busy With Cleanup Chores.” Billings Gazette, MT. 6-21-1964 p. 5.)

June 22: “Whitehall (UPI) – The Montana flood confirmed death toll rose to 15 Saturday night [June 20] with the recovery of the body of Eugene Makowski, 50, of Oroville, Calif. Makowski drowned while riding a horse with Kenneth Peterson, 16, of Whitehall, when the horse threw them into Hoey Slough near here. Peterson is still missing and presumed dead. With recovery of the body the list of missing and presumed dead now is at 17.” (UPI. “Flood Victim’s Body is Found.” Billings Gazette, MT. 6-22-1964, p. 16.)

June 22: “Conrad – (AP) – An organized search party found the 15th body in flood-devastated northwest Montana late Sunday [June 21], leaving 23 other victims still missing and presumed drowned. The body of Edward Hall, 2, was found about six miles west of Highway 89 on Birch Creek, four miles from his home. The child’s mother, Mrs. Tom Hall and five other Hall children are still unaccounted for. The father escaped when a 30-feet wall of water swept down Birch Creek after Swift Dam broke on June 8. One other Hall child, Tom Hall, III, 12, was found June 18. Pondera County Coroner Patrick E. Wyse said…drowning was the cause of death. The coroner said 13 other flood victims are still missing from the Birch Creek area but the organized search was called off Sunday night.” (AP. “Search Party Finds 15th Flood Victim.” The Independent Record, Helena, MT, 6-22-1964, p. 2.)

June 25: “Conrad – (AP) – Bodies of two more flood victims were found Wednesday north of Dupuyer, 16 days after they were swept away from their homes along Birch Creek. Pondera County Coroner Patrick E. Wyse said one body was that of Kathy Hall, 6, found about four miles from her home. The location was near where the body of a brother, Edward Hall, 2, was found Sunday. Still missing are the mother, Mrs. Tom Hall, Jr., 33 and four other Hall children.

“The identification of the other victim was not immediately determined, Wyse said. Thea body, found 12 miles east of U.S. Highway 89, was taken to Great Falls where it was examined by a pathologist. Wyse said it definitely was one of the flood victims.

“Discovery of the two brought the number of bodies recovered to 18 and leaves 20 others still listed as missing and presumed drowned….” (Associated Press. “Bodies of Two More State Flood Victims Found. Total Now 18.” Independent Record, Helena, MT. 6-25-1964, p. 4.)

June 26: “By The Associated Press. Bodies of 19 victims have been recovered from flood-devastated areas along the eastern slope of the Continental Divide in Montana, leaving 15 others still missing and presumed drowned.

“Joe Hamline, 52, was working for George Van Sendren on upper Birch Creek when Swift Dam broke on June 8 and flooded the ranch and the valley below. Hamline and his employer were in a field just below the dam when they saw a high wall of water rushing toward them. They ran for high ground but Hamline went back to free a prized saddle horse at the ranch. He was caught in the water, climbed about 10 feet up a utility pole and attempted to chain himself to a cross arm. Searchers found the chain on the pole. His jacket was downstream about 200 yards on another utility pole. Hamline’s body was found about three miles from where he was last seen. Survivors include a daughter, Mrs. Viola Berry of Butte.

“Lorraine Long Time Sleeping, 5, was staying with the Grant family in the valley below the Two Medicine Dam. Witnesses reported seeing Rose Grant, 84, and four children swept away in the flood as they attempted to climb aboard a pickup truck. The girl’s body was found less than a mile away from where she was last seen.” (Associated Press. “Searchers Find 19th Body in State Flood Disaster. 15 Still Missing.” The Independent Record, Helena, MT. 6-26-1964, p. 7.)

June 28: “Conrad (AP) – The body of Marlin Hall, 4, of the Upper Birch Creek area was found Saturday [June 27] under debris nearly 15 miles from his home which was hit by a flash flood June 8….Marlin’s body was found by a search party of Indian fire fighters from Browning. It was only about 100 yards from the point where the body of Tom Hall III, 12, his brother, was found June 18. His was the 20th body found since the flood disaster hit. Fourteen other persons are still missing and presumed dead.” (AP. “20th Flood Victim Found.” Billings Gazette, MT. 6-28-1964, p. 4.)

June 30: “Conrad (AP) – The body of Ernest Lauffer, 58, a prominent Upper Birch Creek area rancher, was found Monday [June 29] in flood debris about six miles downstream from where his pickup truck was found in a streambed three weeks ago. Coroner Patrick Wyse said a U.S. Public Health Service crew burying cattle killed by the flood found the body. Finding Lauffer’s body left the flood toll at 21 dead, 13 missing and presumed dead.” (Associated Press. “Body of Rancher Found in Debris.” Billings Gazette, MT. 6-30-1964, p. 12.)

July 4: “Browning (AP) – The body of Elaine Guardipee, 4, of the Two Medicine Creek area, was found Friday [July 3] by an organized search team of Indian firefighters. Coroner William Riddle said he believes the girl was the last victim of the June 8 flood known missing in Glacier County. The county was one of several persons swept away from the pickup truck in which they were trying to flee the flood. Finding her body left the flood toll at 22 known dead and 12 missing and presumed dead.” (Associated Press. “Body of 4-Year-Old Flood Victim Found.” Montana Standard, Butte. 7-4-1964, p. 10.)

July 6: “Two more bodies of flood victims were recovered Saturday [July 4] in the upper Birch Creek area of Pondera County, raising the number of known dead to 24 and leaving 9 missing and presumed dead. The bodies were identified by Coroner Pay Wyse as Margie Hall, 10, and Jody Hall, 1. They were found by Blackfeet Indian fire-fighting crews working in search parties about four miles from where the Hall’s home was.” (Associated Press. “Two Flood Victims Found.” The Independent Record, Helena, MT. 7-6-1964, p. 12.)

July 13: “Whitehall – (AP) – The body of a Whitehall youth who drowned one month ago in a slough of the Jefferson River was found Saturday [July 11]. Kenneth Peterson, 16, and Eugene Makowski, 50 drowned June 11 while riding double on a horse through the flood-swollen slough. The horse reared and threw them off. Makowski’s body was found June 20. Peterson’s father and others have been searching the river banks daily since the drowning.” (Associated Press. “Body of Drowned Whitehall Boy Found in River.” Independent Record, Helena, MT. 7-13-1964, p. 12.)

July 16: “Conrad – AP—Children playing near a creek found the body of Martha Hall, 8, one of six brothers and sisters drowned in the June flood. The body was found about 15 miles downstream in the upper Birch Creek, raising to 26 the number of known dead in the flood and leaving seven missing. All but one of the eight members of the Hall family – the father, Thomas Hall – perished when water broke through Swift Dam on Birch Creek June 8, rushed down the valley and destroyed their home. Mrs. Hall, 33, still is missing. The bodies of two other Hall children were recovered July 4.” (Associated Press. “Last Body of Family of Six Drowned In Floods Is Found.” Independent Record, Helena, MT. 7-16-1964, p. 3.)

July 22: “The intensive search for missing flood victims was called off today. State Controller Walter Anderson, directing flood recovery work, said 40 Browning area Indians who tracked across the Birch Creek Valley will be released from duty. Six persons are missing in the valley and another, Joe Westfield, 70, Augusta, has not been located since floodwaters hit that region six weeks ago.

“Twenty-six bodies were recovered. Still unaccounted for are Dean Theakson, 45, Ralph Overlack, 65, Patricia New Breast, 3, Mrs. San New Breast, 35, Gilbert England, 42, all of the upper Birch Creek area, and Westfield.” (Independent Record, Helena, MT. “Search for Flood Victims Halted.” 7-22-1964, p. 7.)

Oct 4: “Helena (AP) – The Montana flood of 1964, and the storm which created it, approached the maximum possible for such phenomena, speakers said Friday and Saturday at the annual convention of the Montana section of the American Society of Civil Engineers. The storm itself was near the theoretical maximum for the area, R. A. Dightman, meteorologist in charge of the Helena Weather Bureau said.

“The flood on streams arising along the Continental Divide, exceeded all records, Charles H. Oarstens, water resources division, U. S. Geological Survey, declared.

“Charles F. Thomas, chief hydrologist of the Corps of Engineers, Omaha, said the storm equaled or was great4r than the two major storms recorded in adjacent areas in prior years.

“As to lessons for future construction to meet the potential of possible floods, the speakers indicated that their agencies have differing views. Ted Mann of the Bureau of Reclamation, Billings, said that new design values have increased considerably, with the result that spillways planned for future dams are much larger. ‘The greater capacity spillways have raised the structure costs to values that will make some dams infeasible,’ he said.

“Thomas said that the 1964 flood will have little effect on Corps of Engineers design. ‘We do not base flood control storage in reservoirs or levee designs on a single storm and flood events, but on flood probabilities,’ he said. ‘Great Falls is a perfect example. Our levee design flood on the Sun River is for discharge of 65,000 cubic feet per second, with an additional three feet of freeboard. The 1964 flood peak passed at about 55,000 cubic feet per second. It would have been contained easily.’ He added that Corps of Engineers’ spillways designs for the last 20 years have been for probable maximum storms, and since the 1964 storm did not reach maximum severity it will not require revision of spillway estimates….” (Associated Press. “State’s June Flood Approached Maximum Intensity Possible, Meteorologist Says.” Montana Standard-Post, Butte. 10-4-1964, 15.)

Nov 12: “Billings (AP) – Why didn’t the Blackfeet people move faster when they saw the water rising last June 8? Why didn’t they take to the hills before they were cut off? A government report on the death-dealing flood, as it affected the 1½ million-acre Blackfeet Reservation in northwestern Montana, said the questions are those most frequently heard.

The answer to both of those questions may be found in the exceedingly casual attitude of the typical Blackfeet resident – Indian and non-Indian – toward adverse weather [the 47-page report said].

He lives in a region known for temperature extremes. To outsiders, at least, it seems that he takes a perverse delight in going about his usual way in defiance of blizzard, flood or heat wave….

The creeks started rising early in the morning of June 8. It had been pouring down rain for 24 hours. But so what? A little high water was no cause for alarm. There hadn’t been a really serious flood since 1908. Why be concerned?

That was the attitude of many valley dwellers, some observers surmise. That was why some families chose to stay in their houses even after they were warned, either by people knocking at their doors or by the water swirling out of creek banks…

If the crisis demonstrated a casual attitude toward adverse climate, it also demonstrated the ability of reservation residents – Indians and non-Indians, agency people and private citizens – to work together effectively, courageously, with a common purpose.

“The Blackfeet Flood report, prepared by John R. White of the Billings office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, carries a foreword by Indian Commissioner Philleo Nash. Nash said the story it tells ‘differs from the routine government report in that it deals with human interest than statistics.’….” (Associated Press. “Federal Report on State Flood Deals With Human Element Involved More Than Statistics.” Montana Standard, Butte. 11-12-1964, p. 14.)

Fatalities

1. Arnoux, Linda, 16, Blackfeet Reservation. Body recovered June 16; 11th body found.
2. Bradley, Peggy N., 10, Upper Birch Creek. Body recovered June 9.
3. Cobell, Galela Lynn, 14, Two Medicine area. One of 8 children swept away from flooded pickup.
4. Craighton (or Creighton ), Stanford, 32, Cardston, Alta. Body recovered June 8 or 9.
5. England, Gilbert, 43 (or 42 ); upper Birch Creek. Known dead.
6. Grant, Robbie Jr., 5, Two Medicine Creek. One of 8 children swept away from flooded pickup.
7. Grant, Rolanda Rose, 3, Two Medicine Creek. One of 8 children swept away from flooded pickup.
8. Grant, Rose, 84, Two Medicine Creek. Body recovered from truck cab by June 10.
9. Guardipee, Alvin Merle, 3, Two Med. Creek. One of 8 children swept away from flooded pickup.
10. Guardipee, Elaine 5, Two Medicine Creek. Body recovered July 3; 22nd body found.
11. Guardipee, Keith, 2, Two Medicine area. One of 8 children swept away from flooded pickup.
12. Guardipee, Robert, 3 (or Alvin Guardipee, 3? ). Two Medicine Creek. “Known dead” June 11.
13. Guardipee, Terry Lee, 2 months; Two Med. area. One of 8 children swept away from flooded pickup.
14. Hall, Mrs. Tom (Dorothy) Jr., 33; upper Birch Creek. One of family of 8 killed when Swift Dam failed.
15. Hall, Edward, 2, upper Birch Creek. Body recovered June 21; 15th body found.
16. Hall, Jody, 1, upper Birch Creek. Body recovered July 04; 23rd body found.
17. Hall, Kathy, 6, upper Birch Creek. Body recovered June 24; 17th body found.
18. Hall, Marjorie, 10, upper Birch Creek. Body recovered July 04; 24th body found.
19. Hall, Marlin, 4, upper Birch Creek. Body recovered June 27; 20th body found.
20. Hall, Martha, 8, upper Birch Creek. Body recovered July 15; 26th body found.
21. Hall, Thomas III, 12; upper Birch Creek. Body recovered June 18; 13th body found.
22. Hamline (Hamlin , Joe, 52; upper Birch Creek. Body recovered June 25; 19th body found.
23. Lauffer, Ernest, 58 (of 56 ), Valier area. Body recovered June 29; 21st body found.
24. Long Time Sleeping, Lorraine, 5; Two Med. area. One of 8 children swept away from pickup.
25. Makowski, Eugene, 50, Oroville. . Body recovered June 20; 15th body found.
26. New Brest, Patricia, 3; upper Birch Creek. Known dead. As of June 2019 not found.
27. New Breast, Sam, 34 or 35; upper Birch Creek. Body recovered June 19; 14th body found.
28. New Breast, Mrs. Sam, 35; upper Birch Creek. Known dead. As of June 2019 not found.
29. Oberlack, Ralph, 65; upper Birch Creek. Known dead.
30. Peterson, Kenneth, 16, Whitehall. Body recovered July 11.
31. Theakson, Dean (or Bean) , 45; upper Birch Creek. Known dead.
32. Thomas, Jerry Wayne, 4 (or 3 ) upper Birch Creek. Known dead, AP list of June 11.
33. Thomas boy, 1; brother of Jerry Wayne Thomas. Known dead, AP list of June 11.
34. Westfield, Joe, 70, Augusta, Sun River. Known dead.
35. Williams, Ivan L. (Happy), 48, St. Mary. Body recovered June 8 or 9.

Sources

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Associated Press. “Bodies of Two More State Flood Victims Found. Total Now 18.” Independent Record, Helena, MT. 6-25-1964, p. 4. Accessed 7-13-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/helena-independent-record-jun-26-1964-p-7/

Associated Press. “Body of 4-Year-Old Flood Victim Found.” Montana Standard, Butte. 7-4-1964, p. 10. Accessed 7-13-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/montana-standard-jul-04-1964-p-10/

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Associated Press. “Body of Rancher Found in Debris.” Billings Gazette, MT. 6-30-1964, p. 12.
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Associated Press. “Casual Attitude of Blackfeet Indians Contributed to Death Toll in June Floods.” Independent Record, Helena. 11-12-1964, p. 13. Accessed 7-14-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/helena-independent-record-nov-12-1964-p-13/

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