From snowbanks to spring floods in 1965
Published 1:00 pm Wednesday, February 27, 2019
- The manager of Star Furniture Co. 402 E. Main Court, fought the rising water for hours but couldn't prevent 30 inches of water from entering the building. Photo courtesy Freeborn County Historical Museum
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- The channel between Bridge Avenue and East Main Street was filled with rushing water during the April 1965 flood. Blocks and other debris were used to raise the banks of the channel. Photo courtesy Freeborn County Historical Museum
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- This one-way street adjacent to Fountain Lake was submerged by the rising water. Photo courtesy Freeborn County Historical Museum
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- In the Rock Island railroad yard, workers attempted to add support to the tracks which were under water. Photo courtesy Freeborn County Historical Museum
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- In 1964, a fire completely destroyed Boyd & Jack’s Super Valu store. The owners rebuilt at the same location, 525 E. Clark St In spite of the flooding, the grocery store opened less than two months after this photo was taken. Photo courtesy Freeborn County Historical Museum
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- Flood water covered the intersection of East William Street and East Main Street. Photo courtesy Freeborn County Historical Museum
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- The manager of Star Furniture Co. 402 E. Main Court, fought the rising water for hours but couldn’t prevent 30 inches of water from entering the building. Photo courtesy Freeborn County Historical Museum
By Linda Evenson
Photos courtesy of Freeborn County Historical Museum
A combination of heavy snowfall followed by a burst of warm weather led to major flooding in April 1965. It had been a snowy March and the St. Patrick’s Day storm added to the total. Snow started to fall after midnight on March 17 and continued for the next 48 hours. High winds whipped the snow into large drifts. Schools were closed for three days.
In a span of three weeks, road crews went from clearing snow and drifts to trying to open streets covered by water or washed out due to flooding. By April 8, sandbags lined the side banks near the Bridge Avenue dam. Water rushed over the dam at a crest of 45 inches. The Albert Lea Tribune on April 8, 1965, suggested “Persons planning to drive Lakeview Boulevard all the way north, plan to travel by boat, or forget it.” Several families were evacuated from River Lane, Charles Street and the west end of Abbott Street. Businesses along East Main Street and Main Court experienced flood waters in their buildings.
By April 14, both Albert Lea Lake and Fountain Lake were receding. Fountain Lake dropped 10 inches in two days, and Albert Lea Lake was down about 6 inches.
