Great Flood of 1913 in Columbus, Ohio

Columbus has recorded flooding events since the area was first settled by colonists around 1797, mainly on the banks of the Scioto River. Lucas Sullivant laid out 220 lots in that year, though a flood in 1798 hit the site, forcing Sullivant to plan his settlement, Franklinton, further inland. A flood in 1898 also severely affected the area, creating a lake from the riverbank to Asylum Hill, location of the Columbus State Hospital. Among about 10 floods between 1798 and 1898, a series of levees was constructed, mostly 30 feet wide and 15 feet tall. As well, the Griggs Dam was completed in 1905, partially to provide flood control. ==1913 flood==

among damaged houses From March 24 to 27, 1913, Columbus was hit with its worst flood. The flood killed at least 93 in Columbus, and stranded dozens more in their homes. Amid the flooding, Columbus Dispatch publisher Robert F. Wolfe saw the water rising from his office. Wolfe, a property owner at Buckeye Lake, knew there were many boats in winter storage there. He chartered a train and sent it with volunteers to collect the boats. The boats helped local residents save flood victims during the crisis. Over the next five days of high waters, the local government, countless volunteers, and five National Guard companies rescued people and worked to save properties. The flooding shut down the city for five days, and the west side of Columbus for six weeks. An estimated 93 people died. Every bridge in downtown Columbus was destroyed, except the Rich Street Bridge, which ironically had been condemned, somehow survived. Two railroad bridges survived, although much of the railroad tracks had been washed away in Franklinton. ==Impacts and subsequent events==

The flood led to significant rebuilding and infrastructure improvements over time. New bridges and levees were constructed, and the Columbus Civic Center was built on the east bank of the river downtown. The flood led much of Franklinton's residents and businesses to relocate to the Hilltop, at a higher elevation, prompting Franklinton's long decline. Another flood took place in 1959, after an earthen levee broke. In the next decade, the levee was reinforced. Congress also approved a flood insurance act, making cities that adopt floodplain maps and restrict development in those areas eligible for insurance; Columbus joined the program in 1971. In 1983, FEMA created a map designating nearly all of Franklinton as a floodplain, and thus Columbus City Council severely restricted new construction in the area. In 1999, U.S. Representative Deborah Pryce spurred the House Appropriations Committee to keep construction going. President Bush's 2002 budget provided $11 million for the final phase of the wall. In 2002, after two failures, the floodwall's sliding floodgates pass a high-pressure water test. The 7.2-mile floodwall, finally completed, was dedicated in March 2004, at a final cost of $134 million. Subsequent events In 2019, the Southern Theatre in downtown Columbus hosted The Flood, an original opera about the 1913 flood. The opera featured the psychological trauma of four generations of residents affected by the flood. A new development on the Scioto Peninsula in Franklinton aims to install outdoor pylons with a line depicting the high water mark from the 1913 flood. As well, a street running through the development will be named High Water Alley. Today, there is no remaining evidence of the flood ruins or damage, though its effects can be seen with the redeveloped downtown civic center, riverbank retaining walls, and public works projects to prevent further devastating floods. ==Gallery==

File:Columbus Plan 06.jpg|Riverside condition in 1908 File:Ohio - Columbus - NARA - 68147040-crop.jpg|Downtown c. 1923, with new bridges and a widened river File:Reflecting Columbus Skyline at Sunset-crop.jpg|The 1920s-built retaining wall on the east side of the Scioto River downtown File:Scioto Mile Promenade pillar.jpg|Pillar at the Scioto Mile Promenade depicting the high water mark ==References==