There aren’t many pictures of the day after the Flood, since people were too busy saving their lives and helping others. Besides, most cameras and photo equipment was lost in the Flood. Within days, though, hundreds of press photographers “invaded” the valley. Most of these photos were taken at least a week or later after the flood.
Many of these photos are from “stereo views” that made photos look three-dimensional. Learn more about stereo cards and stereopticons on this page.
Click on the images below to view a larger image. To help you see as much as possible from these photographs, use the tool “Reading a Photograph.”
As soon as possible, businesses reopened in temporary buildings on Main Street..
Men recover the body of a flood victim.
Clean up workers
Flood survivors.
Debris on Main Street. Look carefully to see survivors sifting through the ruins.
A man stands and surveys the damage.
From the safety of the hillside woman and two children look down on the valley wiped out by the flood.
These men are surrounding a locomotive, one of many destroyed by the flood.
These survivors pose with the family dog, who was rumored to have saved the little girl from drowning.
Clearing the railroad tracks of debris was one of the first jobs to be done.
Much of the debris has already been removed from in front of the stone bridge as these survivors look out over the desolated valley.
This family got back to business selling coffee and sandwiches from their tent.
These survivors built their shack from debris they could find.
Several women are doing laundry in front of their shelter they built of flood debris.
Wreckage on Main Street from the 1889 Flood.
