The 50-year anniversary of the 1972 Black Hills flood is approaching quickly.
Twenty-eight-year-old Rapid City mayor Don Barnett faced the unthinkable on the evening of June 9th, 1972, when he began receiving reports of flooded creeks in the area, a result of a deluge of 17 inches of rain. A power outage made the flood warnings and evacuation alerts moot.
The foggy dawn of June 10 revealed the extent of the previous night's death and destruction. 238 people were dead and a swath of ruined homes and businesses six miles long and six blocks wide.
Fifty years later, Barnett has written a memoir of the flood and its aftermath from the perspective of the Rapid City mayor's office. He will share that story on June 10 at 3 p.m. Central/2 p.m. Mountain with a live audience at the Journey Museum's Wells Fargo Theater and a virtual audience on Zoom (register at sdhsf.org/events).
This event is part of Rapid City's commemoration of the 1972 Flood and is a collaborative program of The Journey Museum, the South Dakota Historical Society Press, and the South Dakota Historical Society Foundation. Barnett's book, Thorns and Roses, is available at the SDHS Foundation's Heritage Gift Shop, sdshf.org/shop.
"History Talks" are a monthly series of author talks held virtually via Zoom. They are a joint program of the South Dakota Historical Society Press and the South Dakota Historical Society Foundation. For more information on "History Talks," contact SDHS Press, 900 Governors Drive, Pierre, SD 57501-2217; telephone 605-773-4371; or email info@sdhspress.com. For information on membership in the State Historical Society, call 605-773-6000.
Categories: South Dakota, Rural Lifestyle