Memories from the Homestead: The 1916 White River flood caused much destruction

Today, I'd like to take y'all back one hundred and ten years with the photos seen here. Two unique picture postcards are dated February 1, 1916.  

It seems that 1916 started off rather wet in not only our immediate area, but the Midwest in general. Going through a number of area newspapers, I discovered Springfield reported widespread rainfall, dumping ten inches in three weeks. This impacted the James River and all the other major tributaries. Joplin even reported several fatalities. 

Our neighbors along Bull Creek reported significant damage, entire pastures washed away, which unfortunately included a massive loss of livestock. The Roark Valley encountered the same.

The rainfall situation to the south on the Arkansas side was equally devastating. Flooding was reported along the Arkansas River in the Fort Smith area as well. Flooding was reported across Kansas and Oklahoma, and continued east/northeast up the Ohio River Valley. 

The photos I'm sharing here today were by Cramer Photo of Branson, who documented a lot of the early Lake Taneycomo photography and Powersite Dam after its completion in 1913.

The first photo here offers an amazing view, February 1, 1916, of what today would be Branson Landing. This is the 1913 bridge, and look carefully, you can see the train depot that still stands today as the home of Branson Scenic Railway. Up the hill, the buildings along Commercial Street are recognizable as well as the Parnell home. As for the bridge, it survived two more major floods, 1927 and 1943, but the May 1945 flood took it down due to the weight of the debris build-up.

Check out the next photo here. Cramer is at the railroad trestle next to where the Branson City Campground is today. As you can see, the waters have washed out a portion of the wooden trestle and you can see the dip in the rails. Trains were unable to make the full run on the line until this and other structures were repaired.  

Also understand, that at this particular time, Powersite was the only dam on the entire 720- mile river.  

I've had both of these images in my personal collection for some time. I discovered them in a local flea market. Enjoy the vintage view here, and happy trails, everyone!